President Trump told Reuters tonight that he thinks there’s a chance we will end up in a major, major conflict with North Korea, but that he wants to find a diplomatic solution.
“There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.
Nonetheless, Trump said he wanted to peacefully resolve a crisis that has bedeviled multiple U.S. presidents, a path that he and his administration are emphasizing by preparing a variety of new economic sanctions while not taking the military option off the table.
“We’d love to solve things diplomatically but it’s very difficult,” he said.
Trump lavished praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping for Chinese assistance in trying to rein in North Korea. The two leaders met in Florida earlier this month.
“I believe he is trying very hard. He certainly doesn’t want to see turmoil and death. He doesn’t want to see it. He is a good man. He is a very good man and I got to know him very well.
“With that being said, he loves China and he loves the people of China. I know he would like to be able to do something, perhaps it’s possible that he can’t,” Trump said.
This isn’t anything different than what we’d expect out of a more traditional president, but you have to wonder what the motivation for the rhetoric is. Is he trying to scare off North Korea? Is this all part of his negotiation?
For the sake of our South Korean allies, I hope he’s able to find a diplomatic solution. There’s very little we could do militarily without their taking millions of lives in South Korea.