Trump reportedly came up with his 'fire and fury' threat on the fly

(Image credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

published 9 August 2017

President Trump was apparently improvising Tuesday when he threatened that North Korea would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen" if its nuclear threats against the U.S. continued. The New York Times revealed Wednesday that Trump, who was in a "bellicose mood" just before he delivered the threat, had not prepared his remarks ahead of time, nor had he "run the specific language" by his advisers. Many, including Trump's newly appointed White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, were reportedly "taken by surprise."

The language apparently isn't new to Trump's vocabulary though:

But according to his advisers, Mr. Trump has used that phrase repeatedly in private discussions about North Korea. The president had been frustrated that the media had not given more attention to his success in winning a unanimous vote by the United Nations Security Council to impose more sanctions on North Korea. [The New York Times]

Politico's Josh Dawsey reported that White House insiders are now saying that people should not to "read too much into" Trump's provocative threat against a nation that is now likely producing nuclear warheads small enough to fit inside missiles.