President Donald Trump is facing criticism for new praise of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, and even downplaying that nation’s nuclear threat.

One reporter asked Trump why he’s trying to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but not North Korea.

“You know why? Because you had a different president and they could have stopped him. He happens to be a friend of mine,” Trump said. “Kim Jong Un, he’s a friend of mine. He likes Trump. Doesn’t like a lot of other people. I’m about the only person in the entire world that he likes.”

Trump said he likes Kim as well.

“I get a lot of heat when I say that,” Trump said. “People say, ‘That’s terrible.’”

Trump said North Korea has a “pretty large nuclear capacity” and blamed past presidents for allowing it to happen ― but insisted it’s not an issue because he and Kim are friends.

“As long as I’m around, he’s going to be fine,” Trump said. “You know why? Because he respects me and he likes me.”

Trump and Kim weren’t always so fond of each other.

Early in Trump’s previous term, he mocked Kim as “Little Rocket Man.” Kim, in turn, mocked Trump as a “mentally deranged dotard.”

The two soon warmed to each other, with Trump saying “we fell in love.” He later told author Bob Woodward that he had “chemistry” with Kim. The two met three times ― including a trip to the Demilitarized Zone in which Trump briefly crossed over into North Korea.

However, critics point out that despite the meetings ― and his claims of “love” ― Trump extracted exactly zero meaningful concessions out of North Korea, which continues its attempts to create a nuclear arsenal capable of reaching the United States.

Critics hit back on X:

National embarrassment https://t.co/GlOVfq3vGN

Donald Trump likes Putin, Xi, and Kim Jong Un....He hates Canada.That's all you need to know about Donald Trump. https://t.co/WiEazKoD59

Disgusting https://t.co/TQDprYb6oa pic.twitter.com/8exSbX6rnS

As bad as it is that he finds twisted enjoyment in the thought of being liked and respected by a dictator, the worst part is that Kim is just playing him like a fiddle, which makes our president vulnerable to all sorts of manipulation. A catastrophe in the making. https://t.co/3UFd7WKQ0T

Kim Jong Un recently tested a new hypersonic missile specifically designed to drop a nuclear warhead on the United States. https://t.co/7jq86DZzEi

"I'm friends with the communist dictator who kidnaps and tortures Americans."A winning message for the midterms, surely! https://t.co/z2Gwutjrr4

In the early going, people would ask me, "Why don't you like Trump?" Clearly, they had never known me. A big reason I became a conservative was anti-communism: opposition to monstrous dictators, moral clarity on the subject. All of that is gone, absolutely gone, on the right. https://t.co/JTKlwOsjGT

Judge him by his friends. https://t.co/TAJu9OqQ29

On ths same day he says CANADA is one of the worst countries in the world... https://t.co/PVDtaikaTo

Imagine if any other president had said this. It would be a major news story for weeks. With Trump, it’ll barely get a mention. https://t.co/TQDprYbEdI

The same Kim Jong Un that sends his troops to kill Ukrainians https://t.co/647GdRhHk8

A reminder that Kim Jong Un called Donald Trump a dotard. https://t.co/QcFKxWaVxX

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