President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE on Friday boasted about his friendly relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Kim Jong UnPelosi knocks Trump over refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power Satellite images indicate North Korea preparing for massive military parade South Korea warns of underwater missile test launch by North Korea MORE, arguing it is a positive development for foreign policy efforts.

"You have a man that was so happy to see me. That’s a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for fundraisers in Ohio and Wisconsin.

"You have a man that doesn’t smile a lot, but when he saw me, he smiled. He was happy," he continued. "You have a man that when I came into office all he was doing before was testing nuclear weapons … and now he’s not doing it."

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Trump often touts his personal relationship with the North Korean strongman, who has been accused of starving and torturing his own people, among other human rights violations.

The two men have held two face-to-face summits over the past year, and last month Trump made history by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to cross into North Korea following a meeting at the Demilitarized Zone.

The Trump administration is pushing for Kim to abandon his nuclear arsenal, but thus far the North Korean leader has not taken any steps toward doing so. The country restarted ballistic missile tests earlier this year for the first time since 2017, prompting rebukes from White House officials and U.S. allies.

Trump has downplayed the fresh tests, insisting that he's in "no rush" to establish a denuclearization deal.