Defense Secretary James Mattis publicly contradicts Trump on North Korea

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis meets with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-Moo at the Pentagon.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
Explore More
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.