Donald Trump praised Kim Jong Un and defended his relationship with him in his first interview since a summit between the two leaders collapsed.

In the interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump outlined his reasons for walking away from the talks in Hanoi, Vietnam, where the sides failed to reach an agreement on the denuclearization of the rogue state.

During the summit Trump had come under fire for renewing his praise for Kim, and accepting Kim’s assurance that he did not know about the maltreatment of American college student Otto Warmbier, who died shortly after being released from North Korean captivity in a coma in 2017.

Trump in the interview described Kim as a “character.”

Hannity, a staunch ally of Trump, accompanied Trump to Hanoi for the visit.

“And he’s a real personality and he’s very smart. He’s sharp as you can be, and he’s a real leader, and he’s pretty mercurial. I don’t say that necessarily in a bad way, but he’s a pretty mercurial guy.”

He said that, despite the breakdown of the talks, his chemistry with Kim remained strong.

“Again, the relationship is very good. He likes me. I like him. Some people say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t like him.’ I said, ‘Why shouldn’t I like him?'”

“I like him. We get along great. We’ll see what happens.”

Trump has made no secret of his admiration for strongman leaders since taking office, most notoriously Russian President Vladimir Putin, but also Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte.

As tensions with North Korea escalated after Trump took office in 2017 and North Korea launched a series of ballistic missile tests, Trump taunted Kim as “rocket man.” But as he sought to bring North Korea to the negotiating table his tone shifted and he has since heaped praise on the dictator.

At a rally in West Virginia last year following their first summit in Singapore in June, Trump was effusive about his relationship with Kim, telling supporters “we fell in love.”

“No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters,” he continued.

Even top Republicans have questioned Trump’s praise for Kim, who has been accused of ordering the assassination and execution of a political opponents, including his own half-brother, and presides over a state with one of the worst human rights records on earth.

WATCH:

Seriously, consider if Obama had said this:

"He is very sharp," "a real leader," "He likes me, I like him. Some people say 'you should not like him.' I say, 'Why shouldn't I like him?' I like him. Get along great." – Donald Trump about Kim Jung Unpic.twitter.com/5BvRwHI2Tf

— Khary Penebaker, Fx (@kharyp) March 1, 2019