Trump is reportedly constantly gushing about Kim Jong Un to weirded-out world leaders


Everyone has a friend, or maybe a colleague, who repeats stories to the same audience, over and over. For the leaders of Group of Seven nations, that's President Trump, BuzzFeed news reports.
At the last two summit G-7 summit meetings, Trump reportedly told the same exact story — with the same exact punchline — about his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In brief, Trump recounted how Kim was offended specifically by Trump calling him "little," back in the day when the two leaders would spout insults at each other from afar. Trump apparently still gets a kick out of the fact that Kim, who is reportedly 5 feet 7 inches tall, was offended not by being called Rocket Man, but by the modifier.
Trump reportedly then went on a strange, non sequitur tangent about Kim during the summit that was seemingly less innocuous. He reportedly described Kim as simultaneously "brutal" and a "great guy," while pointing out he had risen to power by the age of 25 in a difficult environment. Those remarks aren't dissimilar from things Trump has said about the North Korean leader publicly, but BuzzFeed notes it's representative of how Trump's Twitter persona might not be so different from how he handles business behind closed doors. It's also seemingly an example of what impresses Trump in his fellow leaders.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"He is so fascinated with him," one source with direct knowledge of the G-7 discussions said, referring to Trump's interest in Kim. "He has a childish fascination with brutality." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the new guy in the group, reportedly tried to engage with Trump's commentary briefly, but the other leaders reportedly just sat back in their chairs at a loss for words, a source said. Read more at BuzzFeed News.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Book reviews: 'King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution' and 'Gwyneth: The Biography'
Feature How the Iranian Revolution began and Gwyneth Paltrow's life in the spotlight
-
Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War II
Feature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps up
Speed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
-
Ukraine, European leaders to meet Trump after Putin talks
Speed Read Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoff
Speed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeover
Speed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs report
Speed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLS
speed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics