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President Trump confirmed the Washington Post's report that CIA Director Mike Pompeo took a secret trip to North Korea to meet its reclusive leader Kim Jong-un in a morning tweet. (One discrepancy: The Post said the trip took place over Easter weekend, while Trump said it happened last week.)

Go deeper: How Trump and Kim went from threats to invitations.

Trump confirms Pompeo–Kim meeting in North Korea

"Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed."

Politics

North Korea

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<p>President Trump confirmed the Washington Post&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-china-trade-dispute-looms-over-trump-summit-with-japans-abe/2018/04/17/2c94cb02-424f-11e8-bba2-0976a82b05a2_story.html?utm_term=.d1c915276019" data-vars-content-id="f9d0c9f8-5792-4825-85d8-641426f83af3" data-vars-headline="Trump confirms Pompeo–Kim meeting in North Korea" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-china-trade-dispute-looms-over-trump-summit-with-japans-abe/2018/04/17/2c94cb02-424f-11e8-bba2-0976a82b05a2_story.html?utm_term=.d1c915276019" target="_blank">report</a> that CIA Director Mike Pompeo took a secret trip to North Korea to meet its reclusive leader Kim Jong-un in a morning tweet. (One discrepancy: The Post said the trip took place over Easter weekend, while Trump said it happened last week.)</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-vars-category="rich" data-vars-sub-category="undefined-embed" data-vars-content-id="f9d0c9f8-5792-4825-85d8-641426f83af3"><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/986555533535731712"></a></blockquote><div style="display:none"></div></div><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="How Trump and Kim went from threats to invitations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/trump-meeting-with-north-korea-aff14fb0-a5cb-403d-8e2d-35ef8a5500fd.html" data-vars-content-id="f9d0c9f8-5792-4825-85d8-641426f83af3" data-vars-headline="Trump confirms Pompeo–Kim meeting in North Korea" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/trump-meeting-with-north-korea-aff14fb0-a5cb-403d-8e2d-35ef8a5500fd.html" target="_self">How Trump and Kim went from threats to invitations</a>.</p><span data-ad-status="NO_AD_LENGTH" data-ad-type="midStoryAd"></span>

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.