Trump: Nkorea should be very, very nervous
Trump says North Korea is ‘going to be in trouble like few other nations have ever been in trouble’
Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against North Korea by suggesting he had “not been tough enough”. The president said Pyongyang should be “very, very nervous” about provoking the US, and when asked whether he would consider a pre-emptive strike said: “We’ll see.” Residents of the US island territory of Guam were warned they will have just 14 minutes’ warning if missiles are fired at them from North Korea, which said it would soon have a plan ready to fire four rockets to land just outside US territorial waters.
DONALD TRUMP escalated his rhetoric against North Korea last night, suggesting he had “not been tough enough” when he warned they faced “fire and fury”.
The president said the rogue regime should be “very, very nervous” about doing anything to the United States or its allies.
He said: “It’s about time somebody stuck up for the people of this country and for the people of other countries. So if anything, maybe that statement wasn’t tough enough.”
The president was vague about what further action his administration might take, telling reporters: “You’ll see. You’ll see.”
Mr Trump added: “If North Korea does anything in terms of even thinking about attack, of anybody that we love or we represent or our allies or us, they can be very, very nervous. Because things will happen to them like they never thought possible, OK? He’s been pushing the world around for a long time.
“North Korea better get their act together or they are going to be in trouble like few nations have ever been in trouble.”
Mr Trump, speaking at his golf course in New Jersey, said Mr Kim had “disrespected our country greatly”.
“He has said things that are horrific and with me he’s not getting away with it. It’s a whole new ball game,” the president said.
“Let’s see what he does with Guam. He does something with Guam it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before in North Korea.”
Asked if he was “daring” the North Korean leader, Mr Trump said: “It has nothing to do with dare, it’s not dare, it’s a statement.
“He’s not going to threaten Japan, he’s not going to threaten South Korea.”
Mr Trump added that he would like to “de-nuke” the world.
“President Obama said that global warming is the greatest threat. I disagree. I would like to de-nuke the world. I would like Russia and China and Pakistan and many other countries to get rid of them,” he said.
Kim Jong-un’s regime had earlier dismissed Mr Trump’s warning as “nonsense”. North Korea later released a new statement, CNN reported. “The US will suffer a shameful defeat and final doom if it persists in extreme military adventure, sanctions and pressure.”
Mr Trump also increased pressure on China to act to rein in North Korea, a strategy the Trump administration has long pursued. Mr Trump added: “I think China can do more, and I think they will.” His comments came hours after the US sent a Navy destroyer close to an artificial island Beijing has built in the South China Sea.
China’s foreign ministry said the move had violated international and Chinese law, and seriously harmed Beijing’s sovereignty and security.
The USS John S Mccain sailed close to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands. A Chinese frigate sent at least 10 radio warnings during what the US called a six-hour “freedom of navigation” operation – the third such operation since Mr Trump took office.
Residents of the tiny US territory of Guam were warned last night they will have just 14 minutes’ warning if missiles are fired at them from North Korea. North Korea has said it would have a plan ready by “mid-august” to fire four Hwasong-12 rockets to land just outside US territorial waters near the Pacific island, 2,100 miles to its south.
Jenna Gaminde, Guam’s homeland security spokeswoman, said village mayors and social media would be used to spread warnings.
Experts said the 14 minutes would not be enough time for US commanders in Guam to assess if the missiles were fitted with warheads, or whether they might hit the island.
The US military would therefore probably try to shoot them down using its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, deployed to Guam in 2013, which would then risk a further escalation of the crisis.