With North Korea’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test to this point, many eyes went directly to Donald Trump’s Twitter feed to see his response to the attack. The global response was nearly universal condemnation, with Russia urging a measured diplomatic response and Japan seeking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Trump urged much the same, but still managed to find a way to point the finger elsewhere, keeping with his antagonistic tone towards North Korea and his own allies.
South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017
Trump’s early morning Twitter response ended up including a slight lecture aimed at South Korea and what the president refers to as “appeasement” toward the dictatorship. The test happened right in the midst of Trump’s pending decision to leave a free trade deal with South Korea, something that is opposed by his top aides according to The Washington Post.
Apart from his harsher tone towards South Korea and disappointment toward China, Trump did turn his attention to what he will do in response to North Korea and Kim Jong-un’s continued disregard for international sanctions. While leaving a morning prayer in Washington, D.C. as part of the National Day of Prayer, Trump was asked if he will attack North Korea over their nuclear test, providing a bit of an ominous answer:
Q: “Mr. President, will you attack North Korea?”
Trump: “We’ll see.” (via ITV) pic.twitter.com/lriDHowGj0
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 3, 2017
Trump also announced that he’d be meeting with military leaders, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis, to determine his next steps for dealing with North Korea. Before that, though, he also added that the United States would be considering an end to trade deals with countries that deal with the North Korean government.
I will be meeting General Kelly, General Mattis and other military leaders at the White House to discuss North Korea. Thank you.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017
The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017
For some, this makes the case that the United States is running out of diplomatic options apart from Chinese intervention and gives credence to words shared by former White House advisor Steve Bannon.
This obvious bluff makes the US look incredibly weak–openly advertises how few viable options exist other than China squeezing North Korea. https://t.co/shdIo0GdjF
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) September 3, 2017
Apart from Trump’s comments, Senator Bob Corker of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reached out to General Kelly for an assessment on the situation and to pledge support to the administration moving forward. Other members of Congress urge the president to work closely with the legislative branch for a positive solution, with the strongest language coming from Senator’s Jeff Flake and Ben Sasse according to The Guardian, with Sasse saying Kim Jong-un “must be confronted“:
“If North Korea has in fact successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim Jong-un is clearly threatening the American people. He must be confronted. The United States, our allies and partners, and those who are still enabling Pyongyang must confront and change Kim Jong-un’s calculus of terror. Diplomatically if we can. Militarily if we must.”
https://twitter.com/MicahTNDC/status/904360247749378048
(Via New York Times / The Guardian / Washington Post / The Independent)