President Donald Trump has again dismissed the possibility of negotiating with North Korea, signaling that pressure and possibly force may be the only option left to address a problem that has plagued the world for decades.
Trump tweeted Saturday that North Korea has made a fool of the U.S. for years, taking payments while violating agreements and advancing its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.
Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
…hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson revealed last weekend that the U.S. maintains communication channels with North Korea, explaining that the U.S. is probing for opportunities to engage North Korea in dialogue. Trump then tweeted that the secretary of state was wasting his time.
…hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
…Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
The president then followed up those tweets with a statement that the U.S. has played nice with North Korea for over two decades and an assertion that he will not fail as past presidents have.
Being nice to Rocket Man hasn’t worked in 25 years, why would it work now? Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won’t fail.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
While Trump stated early on in his administration that he would be honored to meet Kim Jong Un, he has since taken a hard-line stance against the possibility of negotiating, arguing that talking is not the answer.
The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2017
Kim Jong Un’s successful tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile that can range parts, if not most, of the continental U.S. and the regime’s test of a staged thermonuclear bomb have hardened the president’s resolve. The Trump administration has launched an economic and diplomatic pressure campaign against North Korea, but the president and other senior officials have said that the military option is on the table if all else fails.
Trump has made it very clear that if North Korea forces America’s hand, the U.S. military will devastate the country.
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