Defense Secretary James Mattis publicly contradicts Trump on North Korea
Defense Secretary James Mattis was quick to correct President Trump when the commander in chief claimed Wednesday that "talking is not the answer" when it comes to North Korea.
"We are never out of diplomatic solutions," Mattis told reporters.
A number of high-ranking officials have found themselves scrambling to temper Trump's statements since he took office, Reuters reports. Recently, many broke with Trump's statements about violence on "both sides" in Charlottesville, including economic adviser Gary Cohn, who specified that "citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK."
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I think the problem is that [advisers] are now dealing with a president who tweets his thoughts to the country," said former defense secretary and CIA director Leon Panetta.
But when asked about Mattis contradicting Trump on North Korea, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White did some clarifying of her own. "Secretary Mattis provides the president with his best advice," she said. "It is the president who makes the ultimate decisions."
