President Donald Trump says that he is going to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, an unprecedented move for an American president after a long history of sharp barbs between the two leaders.

Long before Mr Trump even announced his candidacy for the United States’ highest office — and even before Mr Kim became the leader of his country — Mr Trump showed a willingness to smack talk North Korea and complain that his country is being taken advantage of by the insular nation.

Mr Trump, a man who loves to brag about his deal making abilities, has a chance to show off that bragged about talent. Here is what he has said in the past in the evolving saga that has given birth to this potentially pivotal moment in history.

October 1999: At the time a businessman, Mr Trump says in an interview on “Meet the Press” that he would “negotiate like crazy” with North Korea if he were president.

“The biggest problem this world has is nuclear proliferation, and we have a country out there — North Korea, which is sort of wacko, not a bunch of dummies — and they are going out and they are developing nuclear weapons,” Mr Trump said.

March 2013: Mr Trump lashes out at South Korea, calling the country an “economic competitor” and saying that the US gets nothing in return for protecting the country. He also says that China could easily “solve this problem”, praises Dennis Rodman, and promotes Rodman’s upcoming appearance in Mr Trump’s reality television show. The star basketball player had just visited North Korea.

Mr Trump continues to criticise American foreign policy that spring, saying that then-President Barack Obama was not doing enough to contain the threat of North Korea.

“Where is the President?” he tweeted. “It is time for him to come on TV and show strength against the repeated threats from North Korea — and others.”

North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Show all 21 1 /21 North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Pukguksong-2 missile - 2 May 2017 A solid-fuel "Pukguksong-2" missile lifts off during its launch test in North Korea on May 22, 2017. They said that it was examining operational plans for attacking Guam, an angry reaction to UN punishment for previous North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile tests and a US suggestion about preparations for possible preventive attacks to stop the North's nuclear weapons program. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Hwasong-12 -16 September 2017 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting a launching drill of the medium-and-long range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location. Kim vowed to complete North Korea's nuclear force despite sanctions, saying the final goal of his country's weapons development is "equilibrium of real force" with the United States, state media reported on September 16, 2017. AFP/Getty Images North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Donald Trump address South Korean assembly - 7 November 2017 President Donald Trump talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-In during their joint press conference at the presidential Blue House on November 7, 2017 in Seoul.Trump was the first US President to address the South Korean National Assembly since President Clinton in 1993. He addressed Kim Jong Un warning him to not underestimate the US and that for talks to materialize then Pyongyang would need to take steps into denuclearization. Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Demilitarized Zone Haean-Myeon, is a small military town near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and border between North and South Korea, in Gangwon province. The zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula and was created after the 'Korean Armistice Agreement'. Any negotiations between the two countries tend to take place in this zone. AFP/Getty Images North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Declared state sponsor of terrorism by Trump - 20 November 2017 President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a cabinet meeting at the White House on November 20, 2017, where he officially designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. North Korea had previously been on the list, however was removed in 2008. Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile - 29 November 2017 The North Korean government launches it's Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea on November 29, 2017. It is supposedly capable of reaching all parts of the US. Korean Central News Agency via AP North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile - 29 November 2017 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un celebrating the launch of the Hwasong-15 missile on November 29, 2017. AFP/Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Kim Jong-Un New Year's speech - 1 January 2018 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivering his New Year's speech. He vowed North Korea would mass-produce nuclear warheads and missiles in a defiant New Year message on January 1 suggesting he would continue to accelerate a rogue weapons programme that has stoked international tensions. Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Intercontinental ballistic missile ice sculpture - 1 January 2018 Fireworks are seen above the Taedong River during New Year celebrations as visitors pose for a photo in front of an ice sculpture of an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Pyongyang Ice Sculpture Festival in Kim Il Sung Square in North Korea on 1 January, 2018. REUTERS North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures US-South Korean military drills postponed - 4 January 2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in talks with US President Donald Trump on January 4, 2018 in Seoul. South Korea and US agreed to delay the annual "Foal Eagle" military drills until after the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in an effort to "de-conflict" the Games and "focus on ensuring the security" of the event. South Korean Presidential Blue House via Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures North and South Korea have first official talks in over two years - 9 January 2018 Vehicles transporting the South Korean delegation, led by South Korean Unification Ministrer Cho Myoung-Gyon, drive past a checkpoint on the road connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge, near the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating them both on January 9, 2018 in Paju. They began their first official face-to-face talks in two years. Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures North and South Korea have first official talks in over two years - 9 January 2018 Members of the South Korea delegation (R) shake hands with members of the North Korean delegation (L) during their meeting at the border truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas on January 9, 2018. They focused on the forthcoming Winter Olympics after months of tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. AFP/Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Foreign Ministers Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula - 16 January 2018 Foreign Ministers from twenty countries from North and South America, Asia, and Europe pose for a photo at the Vancouver Foreign Ministers Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula, in Vancouver on January 16, 2018. The US urged an escalation in pressure on North Korea over its nuclear missile program, despite a more cautious tone from key US ally South Korea. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, co-hosted the event with Canada's foreign minister Chrystia Freeland, and called for North Korean ships to be intercepted and for new punitive measures to be implemented every time Pyongyang tests new weapons. AFP/Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures North Korea and South Korea to march together at Winter Olympics - 20 January 2018 PyeongChang 2018 Olympics President Lee Hee-beom, North Korea's Sports Minister and Olympic Committee president Kim Il Guk, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan and South Korea's National Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung join their hands as they pose during a signing ceremony at the Olympic Museum on January 20, 2018 in Lausanne. North Korea will send 22 athletes to the Winter Games in the South. The two nations will also march together at the opening ceremony. AFP/Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Anti-North Korea activists protest delegation arrival - 22 January 2018 Anti-North Korea activists burn a portrait of leader Kim Jong-Un during a rally Seoul Station as a North Korean delegation arrived to check out performance venues for the Winter Olympics on January 22, 2018. Protesters led by the Korean Patriots Party gathered and complained that the talks to encourage North Korea's participation is stealing the spotlight from their country to the benefit of the regime. Donga Daily via Getty North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Panmunjom - 7 February 2018 South Korean soldiers stand guard at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea on February 7, 2018. In a sign of thawing bilateral ties, North Korea today announced that Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, will attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. Getty Images North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures North Korean ferry arrives in South Korea - 6 February 2018 North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92 carrying a 140-strong orchestra approaches a port in Donghae, South Korea, February 6, 2018. REUTERS North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Anti-North Korea protest - 6 February 2018 A member of a conservative civic group tears a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an anti-North Korea protest as the North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92 carrying a 140-strong orchestra approached. REUTERS North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures North Korea at the athletes village - 8 February 2018 A North Korean flag is seen hanging on a building at the Winter Olympics athletes village in Gangneung, South Korea. REUTERS North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Olympic Welcome ceremony - 8 February 2018 Democratic People's Republic of Korea Vice Sports Minister Won Gil-woo receives a gift from mayor of the Olympic Village Kim Ki-hoon during the welcome ceremony ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Games at the Olympic Village on 8 February, 2018 in South Korea. Getty Images North Korea – South Korea relations: in pictures Mike Pence meets Moon Jae-in - 8 February 2018 US Vice President Mike Pence shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in before their meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea on 8 February, 2018. REUTERS

May 2014: Mr Trump lashes out on Rodman on Twitter, accusing the basketball star of lying when he indicated they had discussed Mr Trump tagging along on a trip to North Korea, and saying North Korea is the “last place on Earth I want to go to.”

September 2015: “Nobody ever mentions North Korea where you have this maniac sitting there and he actually has nuclear weapons and somebody better start thinking about North Korea and perhaps a couple of other places,” Mr Trump says during the second Republican presidential debate. “But certainly North Korea.”

Mr Trump later said that Mr Kim is a “bad dude” during the campaign, and then said that his presidential opponent Hillary Clinton was “weak” on North Korea.

March 2017: Mr Trump, now the President, says that the nuclear threat from North Korea has entered a “new phase”, just a day after Mr Kim’s regime test-launched four ballistic missiles toward Japan. Mr Trump reaffirmed the US’ commitment to defending Japan against a North Korean threat.

April 2017: Mr Trump warns that a “major major” conflict with North Korea, and said that he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue. Mr Trump said at the time that he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping was “trying very hard” to contain the threat from North Kore. At the time, rumors were circulating that Mr Kim was planning on yet another nuclear test.

May 2017: Transcripts surface showing that Mr Trump had discussed the North Korean threat with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, and that he had promised the US will “take care of North Korea”.

During the call, Mr Trump also referred to Mr Kim as a “madman with nuclear weapons” who could not be let to run loose.

July 2017: Following another long range missile test, Mr Trump takes a measured approach, and accuses the country of isolating itself with the threatening lunches.

“Threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people,” Mr Trump said in a written statement following the launches. “The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region.”

August 2017: Mr Trump gets biblical, sort of. Mr Trump tells “Rocket Man” — one of his nicknames for Mr Kim — that he would unleash “fire , fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before,” in response to growing threats from North Korea.

He later amended that statement when tensions over North Korea’s threats to bomb Guam did not break. Fire and fury, he said, was not “tough enough” for Mr Kim. But, he said he’d wait to see what happened with Guam.

September 2017: America — and the rest of the English speaking world, really — becomes acquainted with the 14th Century term “dotard” after Mr Kim releases an unprecedented letter written by him personally, and attacking Mr Trump.

“I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire,” Mr Kim wrote.

Mr Trump did not take it well.

“Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn’t mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!” Mr Trump tweeted.

October 2017: Mr Trump hints in a tweet that he might have lost faith in talking it out with North Korea.

“Only one thing will work,” Mr Trump warned.

“Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years,” he tweeted, adding that talking “hasn’t worked”.

Mr Kim’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, meanwhile, claimed that Mr Trump had “lit the wick of war against us” during an interview with a Russian state owned media organisation.

November 2017: Mr Trump, during a speech in Tokyo, criticises North Korea’s human rights record, saying to Mr Kim that the country is “not the paradise your grandfather envisioned. It is a hell that no person deserves.”

Mr Trump also puts North Korea back on the state sponsors of terrorism list.

January 2018: During his first State of the Union, Mr Trump tells the story of a North Korean defector in graphic terms.

“He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain,” Mr Trump said of Ji Seong Ho. “His tormentors wanted to know if he’d met any Christians. He had — and he resolved, after that, to be free.”

“North Korea’s reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland,” Mr Trump said during that speech. “We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to American and to our allies.”

February 2018: Vice President Mike Pence attends the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang. Also in attendance was Mr Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, just feet away.