Trump promises to ‘handle’ North Korea

WASHINGTON, D.C. - JULY 31: President Donald Trump makes remarks during a meeting of his cabinet, including (L-R) Defense Secretary James Mattis, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao at the White House on July 31, 2017 in Washington, DC. Earlier John F. Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general and former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was sworn in as the new White House Chief of Staff.
President Trump at a Cabinet meeting July 31, with, from left, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. (Photo: Mike Theiler/Pool, Getty Images)

Following North Korea’s Friday launch of a second ballistic missile in less than a month, President Trump said he was confident the United States could manage a possible nuclear threat from the belligerent regime. “We’ll handle North Korea,” Trump told reporters assembled for a meeting of his Cabinet. “We’re going to be able to handle them. It will be handled.”

The president offered no specifics about how he would “handle” North Korea.

The missile launch Friday raised concerns about North Korea’s ability to hit the U.S. mainland. Analysts now say that much of the country, from Los Angeles to Chicago, may be in range of North Korean missiles.

Trump responded to the launch on Twitter Saturday, criticizing the Chinese government for failing to help ease tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

“I am very disappointed in China,” Trump wrote. “Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk. We will no longer allow this to continue.”

The president didn’t say what actions he would take to force China to do his bidding.

The Monday Cabinet meeting was the second of Trump’s presidency. Trump welcomed former Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly as his new White House chief of staff. “At Homeland, what he has done has been nothing short of miraculous,” Trump said. “As you know, the border was a tremendous problem, and they’re close to 80 percent stoppage.”

The president said Kelly “will go down, in terms of the position of chief of staff, one of the greatest ever.” Trump made a similar prediction in January about Kelly’s predecessor, Reince Priebus, who, he said, “will be a great asset to my team in the White House. I hope he will be with me for a long time to come.”

Last week, newly appointed White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci had exploded in an expletive-filled tirade against Priebus and White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Priebus resigned last Thursday. Scaramucci resigned Monday.

On Monday, Trump denied that his administration was in the midst of a turbulent time, touting its accomplishments instead.

“Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure … ” the president wrote. “No WH chaos!”

Read more from Yahoo News: