Ryan Pickrell on October 1, 2017
President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday morning that trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is a waste of time.
Trump doubled down on an earlier tweet claiming that talking is not the answer. The president said that there is no point having Secretary of State Rex Tillerson waste his time working to create a path to dialogue and diplomacy. He added that the U.S. will do what has to be done.
I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
…Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
Tillerson revealed Saturday in Beijing that the U.S. has several lines of communication open between Washington and Pyongyang, explaining that the U.S. is actively seeking opportunities for negotiation. The efforts of America’s top diplomats are the second half of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure and engagement” strategy, an approach which uses all aspects of America’s comprehensive national power to address the North Korea threat.
North Korea has rejected past diplomatic overtures, defiantly testing both missiles and thermonuclear weapons in violation of international restrictions.
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