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---
title: Trump Warns North Korea About U.S. 'Nuclear Button'
description: The U.S. president lashed out in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's New Year's speech, touting Washington's own "nuclear button."
canonical: https://time.com/5085367/donald-trump-north-korea-nuclear-button-tweet/
author: Eli Meixler
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2018-01-03T02:17:46.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:44:03.208Z
article:section: Politics
og:title: Trump Warns North Korea: 'I Too Have a Nuclear Button'
og:description: "And my button works," the U.S. president tweeted at Kim Jong Un.
og:url: https://time.com/5085367/donald-trump-north-korea-nuclear-button-tweet/
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og:image:alt: FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an address from the White House in Washington, U.S.
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twitter:title: Trump Warns North Korea: 'I Too Have a Nuclear Button'
twitter:description: "And my button works," the U.S. president tweeted at Kim Jong Un.
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99b53ffad332833c/6988f6e522fb851001e2440d/rtx43bj5.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# 'I Too Have a Nuclear Button.' President Trump Hits Back at North Korea's Leader

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8M0Qntys.m3u8" -->
## Video: Kim Jong Un: North Korea's Nuclear Forces Are a Reality, Not a Threat

[Watch (HLS stream): Kim Jong Un: North Korea's Nuclear Forces Are a Reality, Not a Threat](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8M0Qntys.m3u8) (2:58)

![Kim Jong Un: North Korea's Nuclear Forces Are a Reality, Not a Threat](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/8M0Qntys/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2018-01-02. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday that the United States should be aware that his country’s nuclear forces are now a reality, not a threat_


by 

[Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/)


## Eli Meixler


Jan 3, 2018 2:17 AM UTC

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday that the United States should be aware that his country’s nuclear forces are now a reality, not a threat 

by 

[Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/)


## Eli Meixler


Jan 3, 2018 2:17 AM UTC

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a tweet that the U.S. also has a nuclear button and hinted at his willingness to push it.

Trump lashed out at Kim in a tweet on Jan. 2, ridiculing the North Korean regime as “depleted and food starved” before declaring: “I too have a Nuclear Button, but a much bigger & more powerful one” than that of North Korea. “And my Button works!” Trump wrote.

> [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948355557022420992)

Trump was responding to Kim Jong Un’s [New Year’s address](http://time.com/5083086/north-korea-kim-jong-un-new-year-address/), in which the North Korean leader suggested he was willing to send a delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics next month in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and signaling a possible opening for dialogue with his southern rivals. But the speech also contained threats reminiscent of his [exchanges with Trump](http://time.com/4953283/kim-jong-un-donald-trump-insults/) last year.

“The U.S. should know that the button for nuclear weapons is on my table,” Kim said, according to an Associated Press translation.

Analysts suggested that the conciliatory rhetoric Kim directed at Seoul may be intended to drive a rift between resident Moon Jae In-led liberal government, which [made overtures to North Korea](http://time.com/4860307/south-north-korea-talks-reunions/) last year, and South Korea’s allies in Washington.

South Korea responded promptly to Kim’s speech, proposing Jan. 9 as a date for bilateral [talks over Olympic cooperation](http://time.com/5083710/south-korea-north-korea-olympics/).


## Transcript

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[00:36] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ]

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