‘Fire and fury like world has never seen’
Trump makes threat over North Korea nukes
With crossed arms and a cold stare, Donald Trump uttered the most threatening words of his presidency, warning of a strike of unprecedented power against North Korea in an escalating nuclear-themed standoff.
He delivered that warning after reports that North Korea had crossed a key threshold in becoming a full-fledged nuclear power, with its alleged new ability to fit a miniaturized nuclear warhead atop a long-range missile.
A reporter asked the president about this development during an unrelated meeting about the opioid crisis at the golf club where Trump is enjoying a 17-day holiday. Trump stared at the assembled cameras and raised the stakes.
“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen,’’ Trump said.
“(North Korea’s leader) has been very threatening beyond a normal statement and, as I said, they will be met with fire, fury and, frankly, power the likes of which this world has never seen before.’’
Those words came as a jolt. Even the stock market appeared to freeze after a days-long rally, with a dip Tuesday afternoon. A deluge of social-media commentary followed, and it ranged from dark humour to straightup statements of alarm.
A North Korean defector and journalist predicted some of these developments several weeks ago in an email exchange with The Canadian Press. Writing through a translator, North Korea-raised Seoul journalist Joo Sung-ha said the regime was very close to gaining nucleartipped intercontinental ballistic missiles.