President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed North Korea’s missile tests that took place the day before, saying he wasn’t surprised by the short range launches and shrugging off the volatile nation’s warning to South Korea.
Despite North Korea calling the tests a “solemn warning” to its southern neighbors, Trump argued to reporters in the Oval Office that he didn’t view the incident as a setback to potential nuclear talks with leader Kim Jong Un because “many people have those missiles.
”“Well you said it — they're short range missiles and my relationship is very good with Chairman Kim, and we'll see what happens,” he said during an impromptu gathering. “They're short range missiles, and many people have those missiles.”
A reporter then said that the president didn’t sound surprised by the tests, to which Trump responded: “Not at all.”
The Associated Press reported that North Korea called the tests a “solemn warning” targeted at “South Korean military warmongers.” Though Pyongyang pointedly avoided calling out the U.S., the test of “a new type of tactical guided weapon” came as the U.S. and South Korea planned to hold joint military drills in the region.
But the president brushed those concerns off as well, asserting that it wasn’t his problem.
“Well, he didn't say a warning to the United States, I can tell you that. He didn't send a warning to the United States,” he said, pointing out that North and South Korea have had disputes “for a long time.”
“But he didn’t say that, but they're short range missiles — and very standard missiles,” he concluded.
Trump made a similar assessment in an interview Thursday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, arguing that at least they weren’t conducting nuclear missile tests.
But his apparent lack of concern is a break with his State Department.In a statement to Reuters Thursday, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus essentially told Pyongyang to cut it out, though she expressed hope that the two sides would continue negotiations.
“We urge no more provocations. This administration is committed to diplomatic engagement with the North Koreans and we continue to press and hope for these working-level negotiations to move forward."
Pompeo suggested that the missile launches by Pyongyang are a ploy to gain leverage in the next round of negotiations. "Everybody tries to get ready for negotiations and create leverage and create risk for the other side," he told Bloomberg Television on Friday. "We remain convinced that there's a diplomatic way forward, a negotiated solution to this."
Trump’s comments also come one day after a Wall Street Journal report cited analysts at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency who say North Korea has produced 12 nuclear weapons since Trump’s historic first meeting with Kim last year. Trump has hinted at a possible third summit after their second meeting broke down without a deal earlier this year.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine