Trump Defends 'Locked & Loaded' Comment If North Korea Acts
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- With heated rhetoric coming from both the Trump administration and North Korea, international pressure to find a peaceful solution to the north's missile threats is building.
President Donald Trump says North Korea's Dictator Kim Jong Un will not bully the U.S.
"This man will not get away with what he's doing, believe me," said Trump on Friday afternoon.
The president was meeting with his Secretary of State and U.N. ambassador to discuss the next steps with North Korea.
Trump tweeted Friday morning that the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" if North Korea acts "unwisely."
Later in the day he defended his comment, saying, "I hope they are going to fully understand the gravity of what I said, and what I said is what I mean."
North Korea is promising a nuclear war if the U.S. strikes first.
That kind of rhetoric prompted Russia's foreign minister to say he believes the risk of a military conflict on the Korean peninsula is "very high."
Moscow wants the U.S. to stop its annual military exercises with South Korea if the north will halt its missile program.
The military drills are set to begin August 21st. That's about the same time North Korea says it will be ready to launch missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam.
North Korea's military is threatening to launch four ballistic missiles targeting the water around Guam. The plan is awaiting Kim Jong Un's approval.
Guam's governor has dismissed the threat saying there's a one-in-a-million chance the launch will occur.
Just in case, Guam's Department of Homeland Security released a tip sheet in the event of an attack, advising citizens to build an emergency kit, have a family plan and don't look at the fireball or flash when the missile hits because it can blind you.
General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is headed to Asia next week for talks with China, Japan and South Korea. The trip was scheduled prior to the latest tensions with the North, but the topic is sure to dominate discussions.
