Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker questions Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during testimony before the committee on July 25. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo Corker on Trump's praise of Kim Jong Un: 'Really?'

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker on Wednesday blasted President Donald Trump’s repeated praise of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a “talented” leader with a “great personality.”

“One in 10 North Koreans are living in slavery today,” Corker said during a Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “One in five children are stunted due to malnutrition. In the face of these realities, the president has called him very talented, and that he loves his people.”


“Really?” the Tennessee Republican added.

Corker, who is often critical of the president and is retiring at the end of this Congress, described Kim as “one of the most ruthless leaders on the planet.” He later took broader aim at Trump’s performance on the global stage.

“It’s the president who causes people to have concerns,” Corker said. “It’s the president’s actions that create tremendous distrust in this nation and our allies.”

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was testifying at Wednesday’s hearing, and he fielded numerous questions about his ongoing attempts to hammer out a deal with North Korea to abandon the country’s nuclear weapons.

Trump and Kim made a vague pledge to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula last month after an unprecedented summit between the two leaders.

Senators on Wednesday questioned Pompeo on whether he’s made progress with Pyongyang. The country's top diplomat said he’s engaged in “patient diplomacy.”

“But we won't let this drag out to no end,” Pompeo added.