Last Updated Apr 18, 2018 6:19 PM EDT
President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are taking questions from reporters Wednesday night, after Mr. Trump confirmed on Twitter that CIA Director Mike Pompeo ventured to North Korea and met with its leader Kim Jong Un.
Mr. Trump began the news conference by praising the life of the late Barbara Bush, and noting the success of last week’s Syria strikes.
Abe and Mr. Trump have been meeting at the president’s club Mar-a-Lago over the last two days, discussing how to address North Korea’s nuclear program, trade between the U.S. and Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region more generally. But Mr. Trump made news Tuesday when he said the U.S. and North Korea have had “direct” talks at “extremely high levels,” fueling questions. Hours later, the Washington Post reported Pompeo had met with Kim in person, which Mr. Trump confirmed on Twitter Wednesday morning. Mr. Trump claimed that meeting went “very smoothly.”
Pompeo is undergoing the confirmation process to become secretary of state, and while his confirmation seems likely, it’s still uncertain. No Democrats have said they’ll support him, and if Sen. Rand Paul persists in opposing him, Pompeo will likely need a Democrat to vote in favor of confirming him. A handful of Democrats and Republicans say they’re undecided. When Mr. Trump was asked about Pompeo’s confirmation prospects, he expressed confidence that Paul would change his mind about Pompeo.
“I will say this about Rand Paul — he’s never let me down,” the president told reporters during a working lunch with Abe Wednesday. “Rand Paul is a very special guy as far as I’m concerned, he’s never let me down and I don’t think he’ll let us down again.”
There is still no date for a summit between the U.S. and North Korea, although Mr. Trump said five locations are under consideration. Mr. Trump, asked Tuesday if any of them are in the U.S., responded, “no.” The president said the talks will take place in early June, possibly sooner.
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