A tweet drafted by President Donald Trump ― but never posted ― had the potential to lead to war with North Korea, veteran journalist Bob Woodward said on Sunday.
“He drafts a tweet saying ‘We are going to pull out dependents from South Korea ... Family members of the 28,000 people there,’” Woodward said on CBS “Sunday Morning” as he promoted his upcoming book, Fear: Trump in the White House.
But a backchannel message from North Korea said bringing family members home would be considered a sign of an impending U.S. attack.
An excerpt of the book obtained by The Atlantic said the nearly-posted tweet “scared the daylights” out of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford.
At the time, Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong Un routinely traded threats and insults. Trump derided Kim as “Little Rocket Man” and bragged about having a “much bigger & more powerful” nuclear button. Kim, for his part, denounced Trump as a “dotard.”
However, a summit between the two in Singapore earlier this year eased tensions, and over the weekend Trump even thanked the North Korean dictator for not showing off nuclear missiles during a military parade in Pyongyang.
Fear hits bookstores on Tuesday. Trump said the book was “already discredited” and has “so many lies and phony sources.”
Students Jo Jong-Im, 19, (left) and Jo Kwang-Hyok 31, pose for a portrait following a mass dance event in central Pyongyang.
Marathon runner Pak Chol poses for a portrait after winning the Pyongyang Marathon, at Kim Il-Sung stadium in Pyongyang.
Pak Han-Song, 11, poses for a portrait on a beginner's slope at the Masikryong, or Masik Pass, ski resort near Wonsan. AFP was told that Pak was a member of a youth ski camp.
Shooting instructor Kim Su-Ryon poses for a portrait at the Meari Shooting Range in Pyongyang. Kim is holding a Paektusan target pistol, gifted by late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung. Visitors to the range can pay $10 to shoot 10 rounds.
Figure skaters Nam Yong-Myong (left) and Choe Min pose for a portrait in Pyongyang. The skaters were performing at the Paektusan Prize international figure skating festival.
Student Jo Chong-A, 10, poses for a portrait in a subway station of the Pyongyang metro.
Sailor Kim Il-Su poses for a photo on a boat used to host wedding photo shoots on the Taedong river in Pyongyang.
Hong Kum-Ju, 27, poses for a portrait at the food factory where she works, in the eastern port city of Wonsan.
Toddler Mun Ji-Song poses for a photo with his parents at the entrance to the Central Zoo in Pyongyang.
Kim Chol-Nam, 30, poses for a portrait at the ski hire desk where he works at the Masikryong, or Masik Pass, ski resort near Wonsan.
Ri Yong-Hwa, 23, poses for a portrait in a classroom at the Kim Jong-Suk silk mill in Pyongyang. A regular fixture on the itineraries of foreign journalists and tourists, the Kim Jong-Suk textile mill is named after the grandmother of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
Kim Su-Min, 11, poses for a portrait before offering flowers to the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il at Mansudae hill in Pyongyang.
Jong Kwang-Hyok, 10, poses for a portrait on a football field at a school for orphans on the outskirts of Pyongyang.
Chief Engineer Choe Yong-Jun poses for a portrait at the Wonsan Youth Power Station, a hydroelectric plant outside the eastern port city of Wonsan.
Amateur volleyball player Kim Hyok poses for a portrait during a practice session, in Pyongyang.
Student Cha So-Yon, 18, poses for a portrait in a subway station of the Pyongyang metro.
Kim Hyun-U, 12, poses for a portrait as he takes part in a seasonal initiative referred to as a "do good things" campaign, in which residents are encouraged to sweep and tidy the city, in a park in Pyongyang.
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