Trump refuses to draw ‘red lines’ with North Korea

President Trump said Thursday he’s mulling a number of responses to the North Korean crisis, but that he wouldn’t telegraph specific actions in response to the regime’s first successful in- tercontinental ballistic missile test.

“I don’t like to talk about what I have planned, but I have some pretty severe things we’re thinking about. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do them,” he said. “I don’t draw red lines.”

Trump’s comments came at a news conference in Warsaw in advance of a meeting with world leaders at a Group of 20 summit that kicks off Friday. He was scheduled to have dinner Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in to discuss the North Korea.

“It’s a shame that they’re behaving this way, but they are behaving in a very, very dangerous manner, and something must be done about it,” Trump said.

Trump’s “red line” comment was a reference to his longstanding criticism of former president Barack Obama for saying Syria’s use of chemical weapons would cross a “red line” that would demand U.S. military action. The Syrian regime later used chemical weapons; Obama backed down.

As a result, Trump has consistently said he won’t discuss possible military action in advance.

Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, was more explicit in an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council Wednesday. “The United States is prepared to use the full range of our capabilities to defend ourselves and our allies. One of our capabilities lies with our considerable military forces,” she said. “We will use them if we must, but we prefer not to have to go in that direction.”