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Former White House official says Trump could meet with North's Kim this autumn

Published: 08 Apr. 2026, 18:17

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the North Korean side of the border in the village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019. [AP/YONHAP]

A former Trump administration official predicted Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump could meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit sometime this fall, citing Trump's continued indications of interest in resuming dialogue with the reclusive leader.

Fred Fleitz, a former chief of staff to the National Security Council under the previous Trump administration, made the remarks as speculation persists that Trump and Kim may resume dialogue around the time of Trump's May visit to China for summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"I believe there is a good chance of a Trump-Kim summit this fall," said the vice chair of the America First Policy Institute at a press event on the sidelines of a forum hosted by the Asan Institute of Policy Studies.

"President Trump has often indicated that he wanted to resume a successful personal diplomacy [...] It is something that Trump believes in that this was a big success that he has to build upon," he said.

Fleitz pointed out that although Trump is open to meeting Kim again, he would not back away from the U.S. demand for denuclearization.

"The Trump administration might join talks with North Korea but will be pushing for denuclearization," he said. "I would strongly advise the Trump administration that another progress should be that North Korea has to stop sending weapons [to Russia for its war] in Ukraine."

"They are helping a disastrously bloody war, and I don't think it's a lot to ask for Trump to say that to Kim Jong-un."

On a similar note, Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there was a "more than 50 percent chance" that Trump would meet Kim after he meets Xi in Beijing.

"I don't think Xi Jinping will want a meeting [between Trump and Kim] before his summit with Trump," he said. "There is a greater than 50 percent chance that they could meet after their [Trump-Xi] meeting in Beijing."

Cha also noted that, unlike his approach to China, Russia or Iran, Trump puts North Korea in a "different basket" when it comes to his potential engagement with Kim.

"I think he clearly wants to engage with him, which is just fascinating," he said.

Yonhap