BEDMINSTER, N. J.: President Donald Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric toward North Korea and its leader on Thursday, warning Pyongyang against attacking Guam or U. S. allies after it disclosed plans to fire missiles over Japan to land near the U. S…
BEDMINSTER, N. J.: President Donald Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric toward North Korea and its leader on Thursday, warning Pyongyang against attacking Guam or U. S. allies after it disclosed plans to fire missiles over Japan to land near the U. S. Pacific territory.
Trump took specific aim at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, 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. … This is a whole new ball game. »
North Korea’s army will complete the plans in mid-August to fire four intermediate-range missiles over Japan to land near Guam, when they will be ready for Kim’s order, state-run KCNA news agency said. The plans called for the missiles to land in the sea 30-40 km (18-25 miles) from Guam.
« I read about, ‘We’re in Guam by August 15th.’ Let’s see what he does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody’s seen before, what will happen in North Korea, » Trump, without offering specifics, told reporters in New Jersey.
« It’s not a dare. It’s a statement, » Trump said. « He’s not going to go around threatening Guam. And he’s not going to threaten the United States. And he’s not going to threaten Japan. And he’s not going to threaten South Korea. »
Tension in the region has risen since the reclusive communist country, which staged two nuclear bomb tests last year, launched two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July in defiance of world powers. Trump has said he will not allow Pyongyang to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States.
Far from toning down his words after saying on Tuesday that any threats by Pyongyang would be « met with fire and fury like the world has never seen, » Trump said those remarks may have not gone far enough. « Maybe it wasn’t tough enough, » Trump said.
Trump’s Tuesday comments had unnerved allies in the region and drew criticism from some politicians and foreign policy experts at home as needlessly pugnacious at a time when more measured language would be appropriate.
On Thursday in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is on a working vacation, Trump also declared the U.
