TRUMP REMARK FUELS FEARS OF KOREA WAR
Trump hints of war with North Korea in key meeting with US military top brass
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to confirm he had North Korea in mind last week when he described a gathering of military leaders as “the calm before the storm.”
In an interview with US network Fox News, Trump was asked what he meant with the cryptic phrase, which had fueled concerns the United States and North Korea were closer to war.
“We can’t let this to go on. We just can’t,” Trump said in response to the question, adding that China has been very helpful in the situation. “They cut off banking to North Korea.”
Trump made the “calm before the storm” comment during an Oct. 5 photo opportunity before having dinner with US military leaders.
The dinner followed a meeting in which Trump and the military leaders discussed Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and the fight against Islamic State.
Clinton deal
On Wednesday, Trump also characterized a deal with North Korea brokered under former President Bill Clinton as a failure.
“Before…the ink was dry on the contract, they were already starting again with the missiles, and with the nuclear,” Trump said. “We cannot allow this to happen. This should have been taken care of long ago.”
In Moscow, the Russian news agency Tass quoted North Kore- an Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho as describing his nation’s nuclear weapons as its “sword of justice.”
Tass said Ri accused Trump of “setting a fuse of war” with his September speech at the United Nations in which he threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if forced to defend the United States or its allies.
Ri said the North’s strategic forces have “inexhaustible power that won’t leave aggressor state America unpunished.”
He added that North Korea’s “Army and people are persistently demanding to settle the final score with the Americans with a fiery hail, not words,” ap- parently referring to the Korean War which ended in a ceasefire.
Nokor nukes spook Americans
As expected, the reclusive communist state’s nuclear weapons development is spooking most Americans, according to a survey.
Two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jongun is making the situation worse.
Less than one in 10 thinks Trump’s comments are making it better.
Those are the findings of a poll by the Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research, as North Korea comes closer to its goal of having a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike the continental United States.
The poll was conducted about a week after Trump intensified rhetorical exchanges with his counterpart Kim, dubbing him “Rocket Man.”
Kim responded with insults of his own, calling Trump “deranged” and a “dotard.”
The poll found that 65 percent of Americans think Trump made the situation worse, including 45 percent who think he made the situation much worse.—