President Trump said Friday he will not be “played” in nuclear talks with North Korea, pushing back against critics who say he is walking into a trap by meeting with Kim Jong Un. 
 
The president said peace negotiations on the Korean Peninsula have “never gone this far,” arguing recent developments are a sign Kim is serious about eliminating his nuclear-weapons stockpile.
 
“We’re not going to be played, OK? We’re going to hopefully make a deal, if not that’s fine,” Trump said during a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House.
 
Trump spoke soon after Kim became the first North Korean leader to cross into South Korea for a historic meeting with President Moon Jae-in.