President Donald Trump said he wants his people to “sit up at attention” when he speaks, just like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un (kim jawng oon), but later said he’d meant the comment in jest.

Trump said during an interview outside the White House Friday that Kim’s power should not be underestimated.

Trump says, “Hey, he’s the head of a country, and I mean he is the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different.”

He went on to say that when Kim speaks, “his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”

Trump had been answering a question about whether Kim might some day visit the White House.

But Trump later chastised a reporter who asked about the remark, saying he was “kidding” and the reporter didn’t “understand sarcasm.”