Trump believes he's the only reason why the U.S. isn't at war with North Korea

(Image credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

President Trump credits his "bold new diplomacy" with keeping the United States out of war.

During his State of the Union address, Trump declared, "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea."

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In December, new satellite images showed that North Korea is expanding a missile base, with researchers saying it's likely used to house long-range missiles.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.