The Latest: Trump says NK making progress on denuking
President Donald Trump insists that North Korea is making progress in dismantling its nuclear program
President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with business leaders, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. First lady Melania Trump, sitting at the table, listens. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) -- The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):
8:45 p.m.
President Donald Trump insists that North Korea is making progress in dismantling its nuclear program.
Trump made the remarks while speaking to business leaders at a dinner at his New Jersey golf club Tuesday.
Trump says Pyongyang is adhering to the agreements he made with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their Singapore summit in June.
That claim is starkly different from the tone struck by national security adviser John Bolton hours earlier, who said North Korea has not taken the necessary steps to denuclearize.
Trump also seemed to suggest Beijing may have played a role in slowing down progress, saying, "China may be doing a little number on us." But he did not elaborate.
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8:40 p.m.
President Donald Trump is basking in the praise of several of the nation's top business leaders.
Trump convened a gathering of about a dozen CEOs for dinner during his vacation at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
At the end of his remarks, he asked the business leaders to introduce themselves. A number of them, including Chrysler Fiat head Michael Manley and Boston Beer president Jim Koch, touted the president's economic policies, including his tax cut.
The introductions began to resemble the scene at many of Trump's Cabinet meetings, in which the president's appointees take turns praising him.
Trump jokingly noted that everyone at the dinner appeared to like him.
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8:20 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he thinks gross domestic product growth in the next quarter "could be in the 5s" — that is, higher than 5 percent — as he hosts business leaders at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf resort.
Trump made the bold prediction Tuesday evening at a dinner with leaders from FedEx, Mastercard, Boeing, Fiat Chrysler, PepsiCo and other companies.
Trump is also hailing his own economic and trade policies, saying he is "taking our economy to incredible new heights" in spite of fears of damage from the escalating trade disputes he has provoked.
The government reported last month that the economy grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter, the fastest pace in nearly four years.
