WW3: "SO YOUNG A BOY, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF HE IS INSANE" -Trump on North Korean Leader

                      

US President Donald Trump offered some backhanded praise for
North Korean leader Kim Jong- Un , calling him “ a pretty smart
cookie” in a television interview that aired Sunday .

Trump ’s almost admiring remarks came amid soaring
tensions with
North Korea over its missile and nuclear programs , with an
alarmed Washington looking to China for help in reining in Kim .

Trump said he had “ no idea ” whether Kim was sane or not , but
said the North Korean leader had faced a formidable challenge in
taking over the country at a reported age of 27 after his father’s
death in 2011 .

“ He’ s dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the
generals and others . And at a very young age , he was able to
assume power ,” Trump said in the interview with CBS ’s “ Face the
Nation .”

“ A lot of people, I’ m sure , tried to take that power away , whether it
was his uncle or anybody else . And he was able to do it.

“ So obviously, he ’ s a pretty smart cookie ,” he said .

“ But we have a situation that we just cannot let — we cannot let
what’s been going on for a long period of years continue, ” Trump
added.

North Korea has kept the West on edge for weeks over signs it may
conduct a sixth nuclear test, punctuated by a series of missile tests
that have aroused US fears that the regime may be close to
developing a ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland
with a nuclear warhead.

– ‘ A chess game ’ –
The North , defying mounting US pressure , launched its latest missile
test on Saturday , which South Korea said failed .

Trump refused comment on whether the United States had anything
to do with the missile test failure .

“ It is a chess game . I just don ’t want people to know what my
thinking is . So eventually , he will have a better delivery system .
And if that happens , we can ’t allow it to happen .”

Hours before the North Korean test, US Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson warned of “ catastrophic consequences ” if the
international community does not act more forcefully to sanction
Pyongyang.

The United States has deployed a naval strike group to the area led
by the carrier USS Carl Vinson , which on Saturday began drilling
with the South Korean navy to practice procedures for tracking and
intercepting enemy ballistic missiles .

On Sunday , the two allies concluded a massive annual military
exercise called “ Foal Eagle , ” which involved around 20 ,000 South
Korean and 10 ,000 US troops .

– Betting on China –
If North Korea carries out a nuclear test , Trump told CBS, “ I would
not be happy . ”

“ And I can tell you also, I don ’ t believe that the president of China,
who is a very respected man , will be happy either ,” Trump said .
Asked if “ not happy ” signified “ military action ,” Trump answered :
“ I don ’t know . I mean , we ’ll see .”

So far, Trump has placed his biggest bet on getting China to use its
leverage to pressure Pyongyang to change its behavior , a strategy
that has failed to produce results in the past .

Since meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping at his Mar - a - Lago
estate in Florida April 6 - 7 , Trump has set aside his campaign
threats to impose tariffs on Chinese imports and declare Beijing a
currency manipulator .

“ I think that, frankly , North Korea is maybe more important than
trade . Trade is very important . But massive warfare with millions,
potentially millions of people being killed ? That , as we would say ,
trumps trade ,” he told CBS.

“ Now, if China can help us with North Korea and can solve that
problem — that’s worth making not as good a trade deal for the
United States ,” he said .

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