Trump says he's talking to North Korea and the June 12 summit could still happen

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Trump says he's talking to North Korea and the June 12 summit could still happen

Donald Trump Marine One

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, in Washington.

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  • President Donald Trump said Friday that he's in communication with North Korea.
  • The June 12 summit he canceled on Thursday could still take place.
  • This comes after North Korea walked back some of its hardline rhetoric.
  • "We're talking to them now. It was a very nice statement they put out. We'll see what happens."

President Donald Trump said Friday that he's talking to North Korea and the June 12 summit he canceled on Thursday could still take place.

Trump's comments, given to White House pool reporters, come after he tweeted praising North Korea for what he called a "warm and productive" statement that walked back some of Pyongyang's hardline chatter from the days before.

"We'll see what happens," Trump said when asked if the summit was still on. "We're talking to them now. It was a very nice statement they put out. We'll see what happens."

"It could even be the 12th," said Trump, referring to the summit he just canceled on Thursday. "They very much want to do it. We'd like to do it. We're going to see what happens."

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Though Trump canceled the summit on Thursday citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from Pyongyang, he left the door open for future summits or reconciliation, telling Kim in a letter that he could write or call him at any time.

It seems that now, North Korea has changed its tune, and Trump is sticking to his word and considering going through with the summit.

As far as the diplomatic back-and-forth that derailed what would have been a historic meeting between a US and North Korean leader, Trump seemed understanding.

"Everybody plays games," said Trump.

While Trump has expressed openness to revisiting the summit, he also warned on Thursday that the US military, South Korea, and Japan all stood ready to respond to any "foolish or reckless" behavior from North Korea.

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