North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was called “a pretty smart cookie” by President Trump, during an interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” this Sunday.
Host John Dickerson asked Trump in the interview, what he thought of the ruler of North Korea, also called the Hermit Kingdom, for obvious reasons.
“I have — I really, you know, — have no comment on him,” Trump said. “People are saying, ‘Is he sane?’ I have no idea. I can tell you this, and a lot of people don’t like when I say it, but he was a young man of 26 or 27 when he took over from his father, when his father died. He’s dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others.”
Trump said Kim Jong Un, now 33, “was able to assume power” at “a very young age.”
“A lot of people, I’m sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else, and he was able to do it,” Trump said. “So obviously, he’s a pretty smart cookie.”
Referring to the recent threats and provocations made against United States and its interests by North Korea, Trump said, “we cannot let what’s been going on for a long period of years continue,” arguing that North Korea “should’ve been taken care of” by any one of the three previous American presidents.
When asked about any potential military action against North Korea, Trump did not dismiss the likelihood.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said.
The BBC has previously noted that Kim Jong Un, the ruler of North Korea, ordered the execution of his uncle just two years after taking charge. It is also alleged that he ordered the murder of his half-brother. According to several reports, Kim has executed generals who may have displeased him in the pettiest of ways with anti-aircraft guns. One general was reportedly executed for the crime of falling asleep during a regular staff meeting.
Even though Pyongyang has repeatedly denied the existence of labor camps, it has been reported several times that the brutal dictatorial regime imprisons citizens it thinks are dissidents into forced labor camps.