Donald Trump’s ability to make headlines for saying inappropriate things on camera — knowingly or unknowingly — is undisputed. Now, amid the ongoing war with Iran and the Epstein scandal, the president is under renewed scrutiny for something he had said a while ago.
In a now viral video on X, formerly known as Twitter, Trump can be heard saying that he wants Americans to respect him the way North Korean people respect Kim Jong Un. Given the kind of rule that North Korea is under, this can be seen as problematic.
However, Trump had made that comment back in 2018 after he met Kim Jong Un. When he was asked why he was warming up to a dictator, Trump had said, “I don’t want to see a nuclear weapon destroy you and your family. I want to have a good relationship with North Korea. I want to have a good relationship with many other countries. We had great chemistry. He gave us a lot.”
BREAKING: Trump, recorded without his knowledge, declares that he wants Americans to treat him the way the North Korean people treat their dictator Kim Jong Un.
This is alarming. pic.twitter.com/v2inoMT4rz
— Parody Jeff (@Parodyjeffx) March 10, 2026
He was clearly quite impressed with Kim Jong Un as he referred to him as “funny,” “smart,” “very talented,” and someone who “loves his people.” He then also mentioned how it was obligatory for everyone in North Korea to treat Kim Jong Un with utmost respect.
Appearing on Fox News, Trump said, “He’s the head of the country. And I mean, he’s the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different.” Then he added the statement that has caused a lot of stir as he said, “I want my people to do the same.”
However, Trump later backtracked on his statement and said, “I was kidding. You don’t understand sarcasm.” Whether he was genuinely joking or if he was serious is difficult to decipher because Trump has proven time and again that he does not like anyone speaking up against him. Therefore, desiring a kind of reverence that only dictators get is not something extremely unexpected from him.
RELATED: Did Trump’s Attack on Iran Actually Make Its Leadership Stronger?
Now that the video has again resurfaced on X, a bunch of people have pointed out that it is an old one. A number of people, however, appeared to be suspicious of the legitimacy of the video and asked Grok if the video was genuine.
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The comment section appeared to be mixed, with MAGA people supporting Trump while another chunk of netizens criticized him. One supporter of the President commented, “It’s not wrong to want to be loved and at the same time feared. Given the work he is putting in.. that man rarely sleeps. This is what it means to be president.” Another one pointed out, “Those Republicans voted him in… they love dictators…”
Another user offered a more insightful comment, saying, “This is easily within his reach; all he has to do is just be Campaign Trail Trump and actively fight for the populists and the country instead of Israel and the donors.”
With the resurfacing of the old video, Trump’s admiration of Kim Jong Un is under renewed scrutiny. With the war situation with Iran getting even more complicated, because of how the President started it, his previous comments on being respected like Kim Jong Un by the American citizens are even more concerning now.
