PETE HEGSETH (CO-HOST): Tucker, do you get a sense that they have a true rapport, that there is a relationship, a trust that could go deep enough? Because maybe it's a relationship that is required in order to circumvent all the institutional barriers to North Korea actually walking back from the precipice. Do you have a sense that it's sincere?

TUCKER CARLSON (FOX NEWS HOST): Oh I think it is. I mean it's certainly sincere on Trump's part. I mean, it's absolutely sincere. He's totally unembarrassed to say I kind of like Kim, you know, KJU as they call him here, I kind of like him. You know, I mean, whatever you think of that, there's never been a president that's been willing to be that blunt. And I think it's heartfelt and I don't think he has any reason -- you know, he's not an admirer of the atrocities he's committed obviously, but Trump thinks he's a competent, scrappy guy, which he is. And, you know, he's very young, and it can't be easy to hold onto third-generational power in a country like that where the, you know, the ruling class is filled with 80-year-old generals and you've got a lot of relatives. I mean, it takes a pretty hard man to keep a hold on power in a place like North Korea, so I think Trump respects his toughness, he says that. I think that's all real.

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JEDEDIAH BILA (CO-HOST): Tucker just one thing, you know, that's the type of thing that does make some people nervous though. He recently -- President Trump recently made a comment about having a certain type of good chemistry with Kim Jong Un, and that may be true. But when you're talking about someone who has been responsible for so many human rights abuses, does he run a risk with that kind of language of, A, coming off to Kim Jong Un like he's pandering to him to an extent, or B, upsetting the American public that elected a president that they want to stand firm and be tough on those human rights violations and stand firm on Americans principles, which exist in virtually complete contrast to how the North Korea regime is run?

CARLSON: Yeah I mean, there's no defending the North Korean regime, which is a monstrous regime. It's the last really Stalinist regime in the world. It's a disgusting place, obviously. So there's no defending it. On the other hand, you know, you got to be honest about what it means to lead a country, it means killing people. Not on the scale that the North Koreans do, but a lot of countries commit atrocities, including a number that we're closely allied with. So, you know, I'm not a relativist or anything, but it's important to be honest about that. And it's not necessarily a choice between, you know, the evil people and the great people, it's a choice most of the time between the bad people and the worse people. I mean, it's just kind of the nature of life and certainly the nature of power. And I do think that's how the president sees it. He's, you know -- he's far less sentimental about this stuff and maybe, I think, more realistic about him. This is -- I don't agree with everything that Trump says, but this is one thing I do agree with. You know, there is a kind of Samantha Power dorm room-like, “oh they're so mean,” and it's kind of silly and stupid and not helpful. In the end, what matters is what's good for the United States. And you deal with bad people a lot of the time in order to help your own country. And that's kind of the way I think Trump sees it.

Previously:

Fox's Pete Hegseth: Kim Jong Un “probably doesn't love being the guy who has to murder his people all day long”

Fox analyst praises Trump's relationship with Kim Jong Un: “It's almost like a father-son relationship”

Fox correspondent gushes over Trump's “very warm relationship” with Kim Jong Un