McCain to Trump: Don't threaten North Korea unless you're ready to act

John McCain.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) warned President Trump on Tuesday that if he's going to taunt North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he'd better be ready to act — before poking the bear himself by calling Kim "the rotund ruler in Pyongyang."

McCain made his comments to KTAR News after Trump said North Korea needs to stop threatening the U.S. or "they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." "I take exception to the president's comments, because you got to be sure you can do what you say you're going to do," McCain said. "The great leaders I've seen don't threaten unless they're ready to act, and I'm not sure President Trump is ready to act." McCain said he's not certain if Trump wanted North Korea to think he was prepping for military action, because "I've long ago given up trying to interpret what he says. It's not terrible in what he said. It's the classic Trump in that he overstates things."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.