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)

published 31 August 2017

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."

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.

"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."

Explore More

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.