--- title: President Trump: Military "Locked and Loaded" On North Korea description: President Trump escalated threats against North Korea Friday, tweeting that the military is "locked and loaded" should the country act. canonical: https://time.com/4896820/trump-north-korea-military/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-11T11:56:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:28:22.483Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump: Military Solutions 'Locked and Loaded' og:description: On North Korea og:url: https://time.com/4896820/trump-north-korea-military/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt999fcd60b74b7971/6988d94b096a9462de69f1bf/trump-tweet-locked-loaded.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5568 og:image:height: 3132 og:image:alt: trump-tweet-locked-loaded og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump: Military Solutions 'Locked and Loaded' twitter:description: On North Korea twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt999fcd60b74b7971/6988d94b096a9462de69f1bf/trump-tweet-locked-loaded.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump: Military Solutions 'Locked and Loaded' on North Korea > Sponsored content. 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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=aaad3035-3d70-42e7-b4b1-ecef97e5b4c2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Ask the Admiral: James Stavridis on The North Korean Crisis [Watch (HLS stream): Ask the Admiral: James Stavridis on The North Korean Crisis](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/CugMqpEB.m3u8) (2:49)  _Published 2017-08-11. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Admiral James Stavridis answers questions on the current diplomatic crisis between the United States and North Korea._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Aug 11, 2017 11:56 AM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Aug 11, 2017 11:56 AM UTC President Trump [escalated threats](http://time.com/4894984/war-fiery-words-between-north-korea-us/?xid=homepage) against North Korea Friday morning, tweeting that military solutions are “locked and loaded.” “Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely,” Trump tweeted from New Jersey. “Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/895970429734711298) Tensions have been rising between [Trump and North Korea](http://time.com/4896078/donald-trump-north-korea-trouble-warning/?xid=homepage) as Kim has conducted new missile tests and [laid out plans](http://time.com/4894948/north-korea-plan-guam-missiles/?xid=homepage) to attack [Guam](http://time.com/4895904/north-korea-guam-why-threatening-donald-trump-missiles/). While Trump has said North Korea will face “fire and fury,” he has declined to say whether he’s considering a [preemptive military strike](http://time.com/4896643/susan-rice-north-korea-catastrophic/?iid=sr-link1) against the country. ## Transcript I think it's the most dangerous point we have been at with North Korea for two reasons. One is the increasing technical capability of the North Koreans, developing both intercontinental cruise missiles and miniaturized nuclear weapons. At the same time, we have a president of the United States who's new to his job. North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury, Like the world has never seen. Has a tendency to react strongly and violently when confronted with a challenge. That statement may not be tough enough. What would be tougher than fire and fury? Well you'll see. You'll see. I do not think, at this moment, North Korea has the ability Ability to deliver a nuclear weapon against any portion of the United States, including Hawaii or Guam. What they could possibly do is use a nuclear weapon on the Korean Peninsula. What we ought to be worried about is Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump Getting themselves in an upward spiral of rhetoric that could spiral into actual conflict. The American effort is diplomatically led. The tragedy of war is well enough known. It doesn't need another characterization beyond the fact that it would be catastrophic. President Trump ought to dial his rhetoric down and follow the lead of the Secretary of Defense in using professional language, which is much more appropriate given the diplomacy that needs to follow. China has an enormous economic card to play that might be used to control Kim Jong Un, and increasingly, They are at least talking about using that card. Let us hope, following this UN Security Council resolution which they supported, bringing even more sanctions on North Korea, they will in fact use that economic leverage. And help us walk Kim Jong Un back from his threats against the United States. The full Security Council has come together to put the North Korean dictator On notice. And this time, the Council has matched its words and actions. I give a great deal of credit to Ambassador Haley, how she keeps it together is by ensuring that our government takes a rational position on North Korea. [ MUSIC ] I am cautiously optimistic, over time, we'll resolve this diplomatically, but we're in a very challenging period. 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