The recording was captured in 2018, and journalists at the time documented it well.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's admiration of leaders of authoritarian regimes such as North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin is well-documented, something that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris addressed during the September 2024 presidential debate. "It is absolutely well-known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they're so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors," she said.
However, one quote – which one X user claimed was "caught on a hot mic" – recently captured the internet's attention, going viral across multiple accounts.
In a video clip, a reporter asks Trump – whose back is to the camera – whether there was a possibility Trump would invite Kim to the White House any time soon, and he responded: "Could happen, yeah I would have him, yeah I think it's something that could happen. Hey, he's the head of a country, and I mean, he's the strong head. Don't let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same."
We found the video authentically depicts Trump speaking, and the comment is real. However, contrary to posts implying someone captured the video in 2024, this video was from June 2018, and journalists thoroughly documented it at the time. Dozens of reputable outlets reported on the incident, including NBC News, Politico, Time Magazine, Vox, The Washington Post, and others.
Additionally, it was not some kind of secret recording; when seen from another angle, it's clear that Trump was speaking to Fox News, and journalists had multiple cameras trained on him.
Later that same day, on June 15, 2018, a reporter asked Trump (minute 7:27) what he meant by saying that he wished Americans would sit up at attention.
"I'm kidding, you don't understand sarcasm," Trump answered.