President Donald Trump sounded a dire new warning to North Korea on Friday, saying that the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" in case its mercurial leader Kim Jong Un decides to "act unwisely."
Trump and North Korea have been locked in a war of words for days, beginning with Trump's promise to unleash "fire and fury" on the isolated communist nation, which in July completed its first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
"He has been very threatening, beyond a normal statement," Trump said of Kim on Tuesday. "And as I said, they will be met with fire, fury and frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before."
Said previous threats might've not been 'tough enough'
North Korea responded hours later by accusing the U.S. of "war hysteria" and threatening to strike Guam. Trump then told reporters on Thursday that his previous threats may not have been "tough enough."
Should North Korea attack the U.S. or one of its allies, Trump said that "things will happen to them like they never thought possible, OK? He's been pushing the world around for a long time."
Trump's comments are notably more aggressive than the messaging from many in his administration, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis, who have said they will continue to pursue diplomatic talks rather than military action.