US President Donald Trump has described North Korea as “a type of nuclear power”. “I think they are some kind of nuclear power,” the US president said on Friday aboard his government plane Air Force One on the way to Asia. “Well, they have a lot of nuclear weapons,” he added in response to a question about whether he would recognize North Korea as a nuclear power.
Trump had previously said that he would like to meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un during his trip to Asia. Asked whether a meeting was possible, the US president said: “I would like to, he knows we’ll get there.” Trump continued: “I don’t know (…). He knows I’m coming.” US media had reported that representatives from both sides had held preparatory discussions for a possible meeting.
Trump set off on Friday for the first trip to Asia of his second term in office. He is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea on Wednesday, where he could meet Kim again for the first time since 2019. “I had a great relationship with him,” Trump said on board Air Force One.
President Donald Trump will likely name his new $300 million White House ballroom after himself, according to senior administration officials. Officials are already calling it “The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom,” ABC News reports. That name is likely to stick, ABC News has learned. Trump has not yet publicly announced what he plans to call the ballroom, but he has been known to name his construction projects after himself.
On Friday (local time), US President Donald Trump repealed an environmental regulation for copper smelters introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden. With the new order, the two affected mining companies, Freeport-McMoRan and Rio Tinto, do not have to adhere to certain air pollution control limits for the next two years.
The White House justified the move as promoting the security of America’s mineral supply and freeing domestic copper producers from regulatory burdens. “Imposing these requirements on such a limited and already strained domestic industry risks accelerating further closures,” the US government said. Both Freeport-McMoRan and Rio Tinto did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
