Remarks against North Korea not tough enough, says Trump
US president says Kim Jong Un will not get away with disrespecting America
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump dialled up his war of words with North Korea on Thursday, saying his “fire and fury” threat “may not be tough enough”, warning Pyongyang that “things will happen to … (it) like never thought possible” if it attacked American territory Guam or its allies.
Trump attacked North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un personally, saying: “He has disrespected our country greatly. He has said things that are horrific. And with me, he’s not getting away with it. He got away with it for a long time, between him and his family. He’s not getting away with it. It’s a whole new ballgame.”
He sought to dispel the notion that his administration was speaking in different voices on North Korea: “There were no mixed messages. Look, here’s the view. I said it yesterday. I don’t have to say it again. And I’ll tell you this, it may be tougher than I said it, not less.”
Entering the third day of escalating tensions, United States and North Korea continued to exchange harsh and bombastic words with Trump threatening to retaliate to any further provocation with “fire and fury”, and Pyongyang saying it was considering plans to launch missile strikes near Guam, home to several US military bases.
Trump took that on as well and cautioned North Korea against it. “Let’s see what he does with Guam,” he said referring to Kim. “If he does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before -- what will happen in North Korea.”
And that warning, Trump made clear, held true also for any North Korean threat to allies South Korea and Japan.
Trump’s earlier remarks about “fire and fury” were unscripted and not discussed with his national security advisers and had drawn widespread criticism from many quarters. Some called it “bombastic” and others said Trump was pushing the country towards a nuclear war by posting an unenforceable red-line for Pyongyang.
But Trump not only did not back down, he escalating the rhetoric. “They’ve (the North Koreans) been doing this to our country for a long time, for many years, and it’s about time that 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.”
But he refused to spell out what can be tougher than “fire and fury”. And to a question about pre-emptive strikes, Trump said he doesn’t like to talking about military plans and actions.