Trump told Fox News anchor Steve Doocy that Kim is "the head of a country, and I mean he's the strong head, don't let anyone think anything different".
But following his talks with Kim Jong-un in Singapore, Mr Trump described the drills as "very provocative" - contradicting previous United States administrations' insistence that the drills are purely defensive - and said he was ending them.
"On the U.S. -North Korea summit in Singapore on Tuesday, Trump said "what a fraud" in reference to CNN coverage of the meeting between the U.S. president and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un".
Trump said president Barack Obama told him before he took office that the "most unsafe problem" for the United States was North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
"I have solved that problem", Trump said.
Early this week, Trump had a historic meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore, wherein the North Korean leader agreed to denuclearise and give up nuclear weapons.
Still, many people on Twitter and beyond found the comment disconcerting, given North Korea's human rights violations and prison camps.
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If you're up for the challenge then play www.fantasy-worldcup.com now! "Even though Rashford is younger , he's more consistent". A sublime goal , the man-of-the-match award, a confident "swagger" and the widespread backing of television and radio pundits.
Trump had been answering a question about whether Kim might some day visit the White House. "He saluted me and I saluted him back". He speaks and his people sit up at attention. "Of course you got to agree to meet".
Experts were concerned the moment could be used in North Korea's propaganda, but Mr Trump said he was showing respect to the general.
'How can he love his people if he's killing them?' asked a reporter, referencing Trump's series of comments praising Kim, despite North Korean work camps, a gulag system, political killings, and occasional starvation. I want to have a good relationship with many other countries.
Gen. Kim Do-gyun, center, speaks to the media before leaving for the border village of Panmunjom to attend South and North Korea meeting, at the Office of the South Korea-North Korea Dialogue in Seoul, South Korea, today. We are afraid to sing, say, wear, or think what we want.
Trump later told reporters that his remark about Americans standing to attention was "sarcasm".
Trump also said the Chinese are very happy with the North Korea summit.
But Trump recalled that when he came to office past year his predecessor Barack Obama had warned that North Korea's growing missile and nuclear threat was the United States "most risky problem". So the only thing I did was I met.
