--- title: John McCain: Trump Knows Striking North Korea Is Last Option description: Arizona Sen. John McCain said President Trump knows that launching a preemptive military strike against North Korea is a last resort. canonical: https://time.com/4759126/john-mccain-north-korea-strike-option/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-28T11:53:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:47:56.652Z article:section: Politics og:title: John McCain: Trump Knows Striking North Korea Is Last Option og:description: Arizona Sen. John McCain said President Trump knows that launching a preemptive military strike against North Korea is a last resort. og:url: https://time.com/4759126/john-mccain-north-korea-strike-option/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43d2e2167caa25ed/6988caddab6d7771e16add44/gettyimages-673467348.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Senate Lawmakers Attend Briefing On North Korea At The White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John McCain: Trump Knows Striking North Korea Is Last Option twitter:description: Arizona Sen. John McCain said President Trump knows that launching a preemptive military strike against North Korea is a last resort. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43d2e2167caa25ed/6988caddab6d7771e16add44/gettyimages-673467348.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # John McCain: President Trump Knows Striking North Korea Is 'Last Option' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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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=316f7da9-2cd8-4ebc-a0ce-66e6894ef6c5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: U.S. Admiral: North Korea Crisis Worse Than Ever [Watch (HLS stream): U.S. Admiral: North Korea Crisis Worse Than Ever](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IA0FB6V6.m3u8) (0:56)  _Published 2017-04-27. The senior U.S. Navy officer overseeing military operations in the Pacific said Thursday that the crisis with North Korea is at the worst point he's ever seen, but he declined to compare the situation to the Cuban missile crisis decades ago_  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 28, 2017 11:53 AM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 28, 2017 11:53 AM UTC Arizona Sen. John McCain said President Trump knows that launching a preemptive military strike against North Korea is a last resort. “I hope there’s a lot more to go before we have a preemptive strike,” McCain said Thursday, [Bloomberg reports](https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-27/trump-knows-striking-north-korea-is-last-resort-mccain-says?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm%5Fcontent=business&utm%5Fcampaign=socialflow-organic&utm%5Fsource=twitter&utm%5Fmedium=social). “They are exploring every option and the last option, and the least desirable option, is armed conflict.” “One of the major reasons is because of that artillery that’s north of Seoul,” McCain said, meaning that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has weapons he could unleash on South Korea’s capital. “That is really of concern.” Trump held a briefing for the Senate earlier this week on the administration’s strategy for North Korea, and an official [told reporters](http://time.com/4756685/trump-north-korea-military-preparations/?iid=sr-link1) that while they’re pursuing “an integrated effort to prioritize diplomatic and informational aspects of national power,” military preparations are “underway.” Trump [told Reuters](http://time.com/4758883/donald-trump-major-conflict-north-korea/?iid=sr-link2) Thursday, “There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea.” ## Transcript North Korea has vigorously pursued a strategic strike capability with nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, which it claims are intended to target the United States, South Korea, Japan, and just earlier this week, Australia. Make no mistake, Kim Jung Un is making progress on his quest for nuclear weapons, and a means to deliver them intercontinentally. All nations will need to take this threat seriously because North Korea's missiles point in all directions. I'll just say that I think the crisis on the Korean peninsula is real, it's the worst I've seen. I'm not a student of the Cuban Missile Crisis, but what I know of it, it seems that we are faced with a threat. 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