Donald Trump returned to the attack in the war of world with North Korea on Saturday, saying that “only one thing will work!” after years of diplomacy had failed.
“Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of US negotiators,” Trump said on Twitter.
“Sorry, but only one thing will work!” the president told his 40 million Twitter followers in a message that at least implied he may have settled on a military option against North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-Un.
The remark comes two days after Mr Trump cryptically said during a dinner with American military leaders that observers were witnessing “the calm before the storm.” He refused to clarify the comment, adding only that “you’ll find out.”
North Korea’s leader has heightened global tensions this year with a series of increasingly provocative missile launches and an underground nuclear test. The country’s foreign minister even floated the idea of exploding a warhead over the Pacific Ocean.
Two Russian lawmakers said this week that Jong-Un is now planning to test a missile capable of reaching the US west coast, a range of approximately 14,500km.
The two leaders have traded public barbs, leading the North Korean to contend that the U.S. has declared war on his nation. While secretary of state Rex Tillerson has sought a diplomatic solution, Trump said in a tweet on October 1 that that America’s top diplomat was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate.
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Tillerson 'wasting time' trying to talk to North Korea, Trump says
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Mr Trump said on Saturday he had a good relationship with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson but that
Tillerson could be tougher.
Mr Trump, who made the comment to reporters at the White House, did not elaborate.
NBC reported this week that in a session with Trump’s national security team and cabinet officials at the Pentagon, Mr Tillerson had openly criticised the president and referred to him as a "moron."
Mr Tillerson on Wednesday said he had never considered resigning and was committed to Trump’s agenda, but failed to address whether he had referred to the president as a “moron,” as NBC reported.