President Donald Trump pledged that the U.S. military is ready for a potential conflict with North Korea minutes after canceling a summit between himself and Kim Jong-Un in a Thursday speech.
“I’ve spoken to General Mattis and the joint chiefs of staff, and our military … is ready if necessary,” Trump declared. The president added that he has spoken to South Korea and Japan, who are willing to shoulder the burden of military costs associated in the event of a conflict with the North Korean regime.
Trump sent Kim Jong-Un a letter Thursday canceling the summit and referencing recent incendiary comments from North Korea about Vice President Mike Pence. It read, in part, “Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.”
North Korea blasted Pence for recent comments referencing the possibility of dismantling Kim Jong-Un’s regime if it refuses to denuclearize and noting its nuclear stockpile.
The regime said, “I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president,” adding, “we could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them.”
Trump replied to North Korea’s threat with one of his own, saying, “You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.”
Trump noted that he still hopes to meet Kim Jong-Un at some point if their regime agrees to the terms set out by the U.S. and said that if he changes his mind, they should not hesitate to reach out. The president thanked the North Koreans for releasing three U.S. hostages detained by the regime under false pretenses.