- Trump was speaking at an RNC donor retreat in New Orleans, per The Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey.
- Trump said that Kim Jong Un's advisers "cower" and 'sit at attention" when he talks, according to a recording.
- The former president joked that he wants his people to "act like that" too.
Former President Donald Trump spoke glowingly about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at an RNC retreat in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to a recording obtained by The Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey.
—Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 6, 2022
Dawsey, in a tweet, said Trump told donors that Kim's advisers were "sitting at attention" when he talked and "cowered" when he spoke to them. Trump added that one general "stood up so fast," per Dawsey's tweet.
"I want my people to act like that," Trump joked, according to Dawsey.
The former president also referred to Kim as "seriously tough" and "absolutely the leader of that country," per the tweet.
During the speech to top Republican donors, Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt said Trump once again teased a 2024 presidential bid and described Rep. Adam Schiff as a "watermelon head."
He also pushed back on Vice President Mike Pence's implication that he is an "apologist" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
—Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) March 6, 2022
In the past two weeks, Trump has praised Putin, who ordered a deadly invasion of Ukraine, as "smart" and initially described his strategy in Ukraine as "wonderful" and "genius."
According to Isenstadt, Trump told donors, "Somebody called me a Putin apologist the other day...There's no one who's ever been tougher on Russia than me."
Insider reached out to Trump's team for comment on Sunday morning but did not immediately receive a response.