Politics & Government
Trump To North Korea: Was 'Fire And Fury' Not Clear?
North Korea on Wednesday announced a detailed plan to launch a salvo of ballistic missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam.
WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump said perhaps his "fire and fury" warning to North Korea "wasn't tough enough" and issued a new warning Thursday over the country's development of nuclear weapons.
North Korea "better get their act together or they are going to be in trouble like few nations have ever been in trouble," Trump said, speaking to reporters from the New Jersey golf resort where he's vacationing.
Alluding to the threats against Guam, Trump said Thursday if North Korea took any steps to even think about an attack, it would have reason to be nervous. (For more information on this and other White House stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
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"Things will happen to them like they never thought possible, OK?" Trump said. Of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump added: "He's been pushing the world around for a long time."
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"Let's see what he does with Guam," Trump said. If the regime attacks the U.S. territory, Trump said, it would be an event "the likes of which nobody's ever seen before."
Trump said North Korea had been "getting away with a tragedy that can't be allowed." Still, he declined to say whether the U.S. was considering a preemptive military strike, arguing that his administration never discusses such deliberations publicly.
Trump's comments were his first since North Korea reacted to his "fire and fury" threat by announcing a detailed plan to launch a salvo of ballistic missiles toward the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, a major military hub and home to U.S. bombers. Trump said it was time that somebody stood up to the pariah nation.
"It may very well be tougher than I said." Trump said, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump said the U.S. "of course" would always consider negotiations with North Korea but added that negotiations with the North have failed for the past 25 years. He accused his predecessors of failing to effectively address the North Korea problem.
Photo credits: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP; Evan Vucci/Associated Press