President Trump got a visit today at the White House from North Korea’s senior official, Kim Yong Chol, who hand delivered a letter by Kim Jong Un to the President.
The large envelope containing a letter from Kim Jong Un to President Trump was “carefully examined” for toxins and anything potentially dangerous before it arrived at the White House, a White House official said.
The United States Secret Service examined the letter off-site before Kim Yong Chol, a former spy chief and currently North Korea’s top nuclear negotiator, arrived at the White House, the official said.
Here’s a look at the envelope:
Dan Scavino Jr., President Trump’s social media director, just tweeted a photo of North Korea’s senior official, Kim Yong Chol, delivering a letter by Kim Jong Un in a large envelope to the President.
In his tweet, Scavino misspelled the North Korean leader’s name.
Here’s what the envelope looked like:
President Trump has now read the letter from North Korea leader Kim Jong Un that was hand delivered by a top North Korean envoy this afternoon, a White House official says.
North Korea’s senior official, Kim Yong Chol, met with Trump earlier today at the White House for more than an hour.
Moments after the meeting, he told reporters that he hadn’t yet opened the letter. Here’s that moment:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would advise President Trump on the North Korea talks to “be interested in the details,” but cautioned him not to fall in love with the deal.
“You have to not want the deal too much,” he said.
McConnell’s comments came in an appearance at a conference in Louisville.
He said he expects talks with the North Koreans to be challenging.
“I think you can anticipate the North Koreans making every effort they can to get sanctions and other relief, and give up as little as possible,” McConnell said. “It’s going to be quite a challenge. And I think for these situations to work, you have to not want the deal too much.”
President Trump said his administration had readied “hundreds of new sanctions” to tighten the pressure campaign on North Korea, but said he has opted to hold off on additional sanctions while talks are still ongoing.
“We had hundreds of new sanctions ready to go on,” Trump said.
But he explained he decided the US is “not going to put them on until such time as the talks break down.”
North Korea’s senior official, Kim Yong Chol, just met with President Trump to hand deliver a letter written by Kim Jong Un.
But the President said he hasn’t seen the letter yet.
“I purposely didn’t open the letter,” he said. “I haven’t it opened it yet. I didn’t open it in front of the director. I said, ‘Would you want me to open it?’ He said, ‘You can read it later.’”
Trump joked:
President Trump said he would retire the phrase “maximum pressure” in describing the US campaign to choke off North Korea.
He said sanctions would remain in place, but that he’s looking to improve ties.
“I don’t want to use the term maximum pressure anymore. I don’t want to use that term. We’re getting along. You see the relationship. It’s not a question of maximum pressure,” he said.
He said he didn’t raise human rights during his meeting on Friday.
President Trump shook Kim Yong Chol’s hand before he departed the White House in a black US government SUV.
Kim was at the White House for a little less than 90 minutes.
President Trump insisted on Friday he hadn’t canceled a planned summit with Kim Jong Un, instead saying he was simply responding to provocative statements from North Korea.
He said those concerns are over.
About that letter: He said the letter from Kim, delivered on Friday, was very nice, though later added he hadn’t read it.
President Trump said there is forward momentum in US relations with North Korea.
“The relationships are building and that’s a very positive thing,” he said after meeting a top North Korean envoy in the Oval Office.
Asked about Pyongyang’s commitment to denuclearization, Trump said: “I think they want to do that. I know they want to do that.”
“They want to develop as a country,” Trump said.
President Trump, speaking outside the White House, just said he will meet Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.
Trump just met with Kim Yong Chol, a former spy chief and currently North Korea’s top nuclear negotiator, for more than an hour.
It’s the highest-level meeting between a US president and a North Korean official since 2000.
Watch more:
All eyes were on President Trump last week when he abruptly called off the potentially historic June 12 meeting in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump’s letter raised questions over the future of talks between Trump and Kim.
Hours later, however, North Korea responded to the letter, and said it was still willing to meet with the US “at any time.”
Right now, North Korea’s senior official, Kim Yong Chol, is delivering a letter written by his leader to Trump.
We’re not sure what’s in the letter Trump is receiving today, but here’s a copy of the one the President sent to North Korea:
North Korean diplomat Kim Yong Chol is still the Oval Office meeting with President Trump. He walked into the office at 1:14 p.m. ET, which means they have now been meeting for an hour.
Kim arrived at the White House this meeting bearing a letter from the country’s leader Kim Jong Un. It’s not clear what’s in the letter.
Kim Yong Chol, the vice-chairman of North Korea’s Party Central Committee, is meeting with President Trump today to hand deliver a letter for Kim Jong Un. He’s North Korea’s top official in charge of relations between North and South Korea.
Here’s what we know about him:
President Trump received a top-level visitor from North Korea on Friday who came bearing a letter from the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim Yong Chol, a former spy chief and currently the country’s top nuclear negotiator, entered the Oval Office at 1:14 p.m. ET.
Trump did not greet Kim when his car pulled up to the White House. Instead, chief of staff John Kelly and a top CIA official met the visitor on the White House South Lawn.
There was little ceremony and no handshake.
Kim Yong Chol, a top North Korean envoy, has gone to the Oval Office after arriving at the White House.
Kim is delivering a letter to Trump from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He was in New York City earlier this week to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
President Trump is due to receive a letter from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un any minute now, the latest step toward a meeting between the two world leaders.
Trump plans to meet in the Oval Office with Kim’s envoy, Kim Yong Chol, who is bringing the letter, the White House said. It’s the highest-level meeting between a US president and a North Korean official since 2000.
Top-level US officials have not read the letter from Kim to Trump, but are aware generally of its contents, a person familiar with the matter said. They learned of the letter’s substance through diplomatic channels in the absence of reading the letter itself, the person said.
Kicking off his speech at the US Coast Guard Change of Command Ceremony, President Trump touted his administration’s “historic” economic numbers.
Any minute now, President Trump will speak at a US Coast Guard change of command ceremony.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is speaking at the event now.
