--- title: President Trump Talks Tough on North Korea description: President Trump's Administration is talking tough on North Korea, as Vice President Pence visits the region. It's Neil Gorsuch's first week. canonical: https://time.com/4742156/president-trump-talks-tough-on-north-korea/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-17T15:58:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:46:11.452Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Talks Tough on North Korea og:description: President Trump's Administration is talking tough on North Korea, as Vice President Pence visits the region. It's Neil Gorsuch's first week. og:url: https://time.com/4742156/president-trump-talks-tough-on-north-korea/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Talks Tough on North Korea twitter:description: President Trump's Administration is talking tough on North Korea, as Vice President Pence visits the region. It's Neil Gorsuch's first week. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Talks Tough on North Korea > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a4121744-9295-489f-b5f6-47d788e2bc5f&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How the Tax March Echoed the 2009 Tea Party Rallies [Watch (HLS stream): How the Tax March Echoed the 2009 Tea Party Rallies](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hvNIsHwn.m3u8) (0:47)  _Published 2017-04-16. Thousands of people marched in cities around the country to demand that President Trump release his tax returns on Tax Day, in a demonstration that echoed the 2009 tax rallies that launched the Tea Party movement._ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Apr 17, 2017 3:58 PM UTC Thousands of people marched in cities around the country to demand that President Trump release his tax returns on Tax Day, in a demonstration that echoed the 2009 tax rallies that launched the Tea Party movement. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Apr 17, 2017 3:58 PM UTC President Trump’s Administration is talking tough on North Korea, as Vice President Mike Pence visits the region and the hermit state attempted a missile launch early Sunday. Pence, who was briefed on the launch before landing in South Korea, made a surprise visit to the Demilitarized Zone Monday, telling reporters, “The era of strategic patience is over.” Beyond being a rebuke of the Obama Administration’s policy, it’s still unclear what that means. With military and intelligence officials warning that time is running out to prevent North Korea from developing missiles that could carry nuclear weapons to the U.S., the Trump Administration has been quiet on what its strategy is. Trump has put pressure on China to use its influence on North Korea to push it toward a different path — President Trump tweeted that it is why he didn’t label China a currency manipulator as he had promised on the campaign — but there has been as yet no change to North Korea’s provocations. The White House has left the door open to a pre-emptive strike, but says it looks to resolve the issue diplomatically. Tough talk alone won’t do it. Trump is getting a boost from his outside group America First Policies, which released its first ads boosting Republican members of Congress who have faced pressure from both the left and right over their support of the president’s agenda. The White House blamed the defeat of the healthcare bill on the lack of air cover for its allies, and as it looks to reset its legislative agenda, the nonprofit organization is taking a central role in the White House strategy. Transparency groups pan the White House’s decision on visitor logs. How Trump’s travel compares to past presidents. And Gorsuch’s first week. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [A ‘Cuban Missile Crisis in Slow Motion’ in North Korea ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/16/us/politics/north-korea-missile-crisis-slow-motion.html?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam)Issue “coming to a head” National Security Advisor McMaster warns \[New York Times\] [Pro-Trump Group Launches a $3 Million Ad Campaign to Prop Up House Allies ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/04/16/pro-group-trump-launches-a-3-million-ad-campaign-to-prop-up-house-allies/?utm%5Fterm=.cf93e077b37c)First significant spending by outside group \[Washington Post\] [Pence Warns North Korea ‘Era of Strategic Patience Is Over’ ](https://apnews.com/99564dcad269469490f2fe76ca5b2729/Pence-warns-NKorea-%27era-of-strategic-patience-is-over%27)Administration amps up rhetoric \[Associated Press\] [The Tax March Is Different From Other Trump Protests. Here’s Why ](http://time.com/4739566/trump-tax-day-march-protest-returns/)TIME’s Charlotte Alter on the latest Trump protests **Sound Off** “All options are on the table as we continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of South Korea for denuclearization of this peninsula and for the long term prosperity and freedom of the people of South Korea.” — Vice President Mike Pence at the DMZ “The president and his military team are aware of North Korea’s most recent unsuccessful missile launch. The president has no further comment.” — Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis in a statement late Saturday **Bits and Bites** [Transparency Groups Protest White House Visitor Log Reversal](http://time.com/4741065/white-house-visitor-logs-transparency-letter/) \[TIME\] [President Trump Declines to Label China as a Currency Manipulator](http://time.com/4741209/donald-trump-china-currency-manipulator/) \[Associated Press\] [Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Turns Over Email List To DNC](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-dnc-email-list%5Fus%5F58f278b9e4b0da2ff8613acf?nxo&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009) \[Huffington Post\] [Trump demands gold‑plated welcome](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trump-demands-gold-plated-welcome-xjnffdq32) \[The Times\] [How Trump’s Travel Compares With Past Presidents](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/16/us/politics/homebody-comparative-listy.html) \[New York Times\] [Trump’s deputy national security adviser won’t say whether she’s being redeployed to Singapore](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/04/16/trumps-deputy-national-security-adviser-wont-say-whether-shes-being-redeployed-to-singapore/?utm%5Fterm=.fbee55b87f1b) \[Washington Post\] [Neil Gorsuch Tackles Church and State in First Week on Supreme Court](http://time.com/4741641/supreme-court-neil-gorsuch-first-week/) \[Associated Press\] ## Transcript No more lies, no more secrets! [ MUSIC ] He does not believe that he has to be accountable to the people, but we will pressure him. We will hound him. We will harass him. 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