President Trump on Wednesday said North Korea made a “wise” decision by backing off its threat of firing missiles toward Guam.
"Kim Jong Un of North Korea made a very wise and well reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!" Trump tweeted.
Kim Jong Un of North Korea made a very wise and well reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017
The president’s remarks come after reports that Kim Jong Un backed off his threat of launching four intermediate-range missile that would land in the ocean around Guam. The North Korean dictator did say he could change his mind, however.
“If the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and in its vicinity, testing the restraint of the DPRK [North Korea], the [North] will make an important decision as it already declared,” Kim said, according to the country’s state media.
Trump threatened “fire and fury” if North Korea continued with its threatening rhetoric.
He then warned Pyongyang that “military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely.”
The president also said his threats were not a "dare."
"I will tell you this: if North Korea does anything in terms of even thinking about attack — of anybody that we love or we represent, or our allies or us, they can be very, very nervous," Trump told reporters at his Bedminster golf club last week. "And they should be, because things will happen to them like they never thought possible."
He continued: "[Kim Jong Un is] 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. That’s not a dare, as you say. That is a statement of fact."
Defense Secretary James Mattis also warned that if a North Korean missile were to hit the U.S. it would be considered an act of war.
“If they shoot at the United States, I’m assuming they hit the United States. If they do that, it’s game on,” he said.