Trump to N. Korea: ‘Do not try us’
President makes appeal to ‘responsible nations’
“We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. We will not be intimidated.” President Trump
BEIJING – Wednesday morning, President Trump urged world leaders to rally against North Korea and its nuclear weapons.
By the afternoon, Trump was off to Beijing to meet the key figure in that effort: China’s Xi Jinping.
Persuading China to cut off economic support for North Korea is essential to Trump’s hopes of pressuring Kim Jong Un’s government into giving up nuclear weapons, a plan he outlined in his high-profile speech to South Korea’s National Assembly in Seoul.
Saying that the world cannot tolerate a “rogue regime” that threatens “nuclear devastation,” Trump encouraged all countries to ratchet up economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea and demand that Kim’s government give up nuclear weapons.
“All responsible nations must join forces to isolate the brutal regime of North Korea” and deny it economic support or diplomatic acceptance, Trump told the National Assembly in a formal address that included repeated warnings to Kim’s government.
“I hope I speak not only for our countries but for all civilized nations when I say to the North: Do not underestimate us, and do not try us,” Trump said. “We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. We will not be intimidated.”
His call was aimed mainly at China, North Korea’s major economic patron.
Trump and Xi’s plans included a tour of the Forbidden City, an opera, and a lavish state dinner.
The real talks come Thursday in Beijing. After a formal welcome ceremony, Trump and Xi will host a series of bilateral meetings before addressing the news media.
North Korea has been a central focus of Trump’s Asia tour, though Chinese officials have said their influence with Kim is limited.
Xi has never met Kim, though the two leaders have exchanged personal messages.
In the Seoul speech, Trump made several self-references — including the fact that the speech fell on the one-year anniversary of his election.
In praising South Korea’s contributions to the world, Trump mentioned its many world-class golfers and stressed that some of them played at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open held at the president’s club in Bedminster, N.J.
Trump spoke a few hours after he tried to visit the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea, only to be foiled by fog that kept his helicopter grounded. Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the president was “pretty frustrated” that the visit didn’t happen.
In condemning Kim, Trump heralded the U.S.-South Korean alliance.
Linking the Korean War to today’s nuclear challenges, Trump said, “We will not let the worst atrocities in history be repeated here, on this ground we fought and died so hard to secure.”
Though he condemned North Korea as a living hell, Trump largely avoided the trash talk he has used against its belligerent dictatorship. He did not call Kim “Rocket Man,” nor did he vow “fire and fury” if North Korea moved against the United States or it allies.
As he has previously on this Asia trip, Trump broached the idea of negotiations with North Korea, pledging “a path to a much better future” if the regime gives up nuclear weapon programs and stops making threats.
The speech earned positive reviews. “Trump stuck to the script, gave a powerful speech and offered a carrot to NK while waving a big stick,” tweeted Martin Indyk of the Brookings Institution.
Before heading to China, the president and first lady Melania Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Seoul National Cemetery.