A short answer to a reporter’s question has revived one of the most unusual diplomatic relationships of the past decade.
President Donald Trump said Oct. 12, 2026, that he may meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip to Asia next month. He added that a meeting would be exciting and said the two leaders get along.
When could Trump meet Kim Jong Un?
The most likely window is the president’s November visit to China. Trump is expected to attend the annual APEC summit of Pacific Rim economies, scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19 in Shenzhen. China hosts this year’s gathering, which brings together leaders from across the Pacific.
The White House has not announced a meeting, and Trump did not say where or when one might take place. There was no immediate public response from North Korea. A media request for further details sent to the White House did not receive an immediate response.
Has Trump talked about meeting Kim Jong Un before?
Yes, several times this year. In August, Trump said he planned to meet Kim before the end of 2026 but offered no details. Around the same time, he said Kim had responded to his outreach and that the two had reached an understanding.
A report published that month, citing U.S. officials, said Trump had privately pushed aides to arrange a meeting during his next Asia trip. The same report said no formal planning was underway and that some officials doubted major progress would come from talks.
Trump also hoped to meet Kim during a tour of Asia in 2025, but that meeting never happened.
What is the history between Trump and Kim Jong Un?
Trump is the only sitting U.S. president to have met a North Korean leader. During his first term, he and Kim Jong Un held three meetings.
The first took place in Singapore in 2018, followed by a summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019. Later that year, the two met at the border between North and South Korea, where Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to step onto North Korean soil.
Those meetings produced warm words and headlines but no lasting agreement on North Korea’s nuclear program. The Hanoi summit ended early without a deal. Talks between Washington and Pyongyang largely stalled after that.
What has Trump said about North Korea’s nuclear weapons?
Trump has been blunt about the threat. In August, he said Kim has 57 powerful nuclear weapons and argued that North Korea should never have been allowed to build them.
He said the buildup would not have happened if he had been president at the time. Independent estimates of the size of North Korea’s arsenal vary, and the exact number is not publicly known.
Persuading Pyongyang to give up those weapons has been a goal of U.S. policy for decades. North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon its nuclear program. Pyongyang has also continued missile testing in recent years.
What would a new Kim Jong Un meeting mean?
A fourth meeting would mark the first summit between the two leaders since 2019 and the first of Trump’s second term. Supporters of direct talks see personal diplomacy as a way to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Critics argue that past summits gave Kim Jong Un international attention without securing real concessions. They also warn that meetings can lend legitimacy to a government accused of widespread human rights abuses.
For now, the possibility remains just that. Whether Trump and Kim Jong Un actually come face to face in November may not be clear until the president lands in Asia.
