The situation with North Korea should have been handled by former President Barack Obama and his predecessors, President Donald Trump said in an interview airing in part Friday, but he believes his own administration has handled it "very well, very firmly."
"The North Korean situation a very, very dangerous one for South Korea, for Japan, frankly for China, and for the rest of the world," Trump told NBC News' Lester Holt in an interview recorded Thursday and airing in part on Friday's "Today" show.
"Unfortunately, now it's very far down the line and I happen to be president."
Trump said he has spoken with newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and the new leader also favors some dialogue with North Korean President Kim Jong Un, under certain circumstances, echoing comments Trump himself has made.
"He's more open to discussion,"said Trump. "I don't mind discussion. But it's under certain circumstances. I could probably give you a much better answer to that in a month or two months. We're going to see what happens."
Trump also shortly discussed news that more troops could be added in Afghanistan to fight against terrorism. Friday morning, The Washington Post reported the United States will expand its operations in Afghanistan.
However, Trump told Holt the decision to add more troops has not been made.
Trump also commented that he believes the United States is "very divided," but Republicans "are very, very much behind me" and they "love what we're doing on healthcare."
"Now it's in the Senate and they're going to change it around a little bit," said Trump. "Then it's coming back to the House, we're going to end up with good healthcare, but you have to understand, we don't have healthcare right now because Obamacare is dead. So there are so many important things happening. "
Trump also gave his personal impressions of serving as president, telling Holt that recent poll numbers were "so good, so strong that if the election were held today, I would win by a lot more than I did on Nov. 8."
He also admitted he liked campaigning, including the rallies and crowds, but he likes being president even more.
"I love governing," said Trump. "I love creating great healthcare. I love the process. I love the management of it, I love the governing of it, and I think we're doing a great job."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.