Trump compared his relationships with JD Vance and Kim Jong Un, saying both men 'fell in love' with him

• Donald Trump says JD Vance, like Kim Jong Un, "fell in love" with him.
• At his Ohio rally, Trump said Vance had once said "some bad things" about him.

At a Saturday night rally in Ohio, former President Donald Trump drew a comparison between his relationships with Senate candidate JD Vance and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

While introducing Vance at the Youngstown rally, Trump said Vance has warmed up to him after getting to know him.

"This is a very important race. This is a great person, who I've really gotten to know," Trump said of Vance.

"Yeah, he said some bad things about me, but that was before he knew me. And then he fell in love," Trump continued, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd.

"Remember I said that about Kim Jong Un — he fell in love. And they said, 'Oh, Trump is saying he fell in love,'" Trump said. "Actually, he did, if you wanna know the truth."

Trump has on multiple occasions boasted about his relationship with the North Korean leader, saying in 2018 that he received "beautiful letters" from Kim.

Vance was once known to be anti-Trump, and even suggested to a law school friend in 2016 that Trump could well become "America's Hitler."

These days, Vance is a Trump supporter. In April, he told the Intelligencer that he was "wrong about Trump" in the past. And in August, he told Fox News that he had "a change of heart" and "a change of mind" about Trump, who he now thinks "was a great president."

Trump, for his part, has acknowledged that Vance used to disapprove of him, but said he has "put that aside." The Washington Post reported in April that Trump ignored the advice of his aides, choosing to endorse Vance, who at the time was viewed as a risky candidate.

At the rally on Saturday, however, Trump, made a backhanded comment about Vance's allegiance to him.

"JD is kissing my ass, he wants my support so bad," Trump quipped.

Vance and a representative for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.