U. S. President Donald Trump labeled North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a «madman with nuclear weapons» — just days before he said he would be «honored» to mee
U. S. President Donald Trump labeled North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a “madman with nuclear weapons” — just days before he said he would be “honored” to meet him — during a telephone call with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, a report said Wednesday.
The report, by The Intercept website and Philippine-based Rappler news organization, cited an official Philippine government transcript of the Trump-Duterte phone call from April 29.
In a readout after the call with the irascible Philippine leader, the White House described it as a “very friendly conversation.”
But the transcript showed a more fraught tone in the talks, especially on the subject of Kim and his nation’s progressing nuclear and missile programs.
“We can’ t let a madman with nuclear weapons let on the loose like that, ” Trump was quoted as telling Duterte. “We have a lot of firepower, more than he has, times 20 — but we don’ t want to use it.”
Earlier this year, Trump had pushed for a more robust approach to the North’s nuclear and missile provocations, with the U. S. leader refusing to rule out the use of military action against the reclusive nation and ordering a bolstered American presence in the region.
In the call, Trump referred to “two nuclear submarines” that the U. S. had dispatched to the region. In a show of force, the USS Michigan, a guided-missile submarine, sailed into the South Korean port of Busan on April 25 before heading out to sea four days later, reportedly for drills in the region.
