Trump on North Korea, from 'Rocket Man' to 'fire and fury'

Throughout the first year of his presidency – and even as he campaigned for the office – President Trump’s rhetoric regarding North Korea has been harsh.

He warned earlier this year that America’s nuclear capabilities were “much bigger [and] more powerful” than that of the Asian nation. And at the end of 2017, Trump designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror again – a classification that came with additional sanctions. 

From agreeing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to dubbing him “Rocket Man,” here’s a look at what Trump has said about North Korea over time.

Kim ‘will do what is right’

After Kim’s first reported visit to China, Trump said “there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity.”

“For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility,” Trump said in a tweet, adding that he is looking forward to his upcoming meeting with the North Korean leader.