Trump and Nikki Haley Discuss North Korea and US Security
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Donald Trump and Nikki Haley both mentioned North Korea while discussing US security on the 15th, a day before the first primary in the Iowa Caucus.
Trump claimed that his good relationship with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, helped US security, and Haley raised the issue of North Korea’s weapons support to Russia.
Trump’s claim on Kim Jong Un and US safety
Trump, at a rally at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, on the same day, mentioned the war of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the context of criticizing the foreign affairs of the Biden administration, saying, “Kim Jong Un [is] very smart, very tough, but he liked me and I got along really well with him and we were safe.”
He explained, “We were going to war with them. They have a massive nuclear stockpile, possibly as big as anybody, and so we did a great job.”
Trump has claimed that if he were re-elected, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have started the war in Ukraine and that his summit diplomacy with Kim Jong Un, which took place three times during his term from 2017 to 2021, prevented a nuclear war with North Korea.
It is a claim that he can prevent war and protect US security through personal relationships with “dictators” like Kim Jong Un and Putin.
Nikki Haley’s Comments on China, Israel, Hong Kong, and Ukraine
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In a speech in Ames, Iowa, former Ambassador Haley said it would be good to believe in the possibility of China’s invasion of Taiwan, noting that the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, China’s takeover of Hong Kong, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were all predicted realities.
Haley emphasized that the US should support Israel and Ukraine, saying that Putin, who is in trouble and has hit rock bottom, losing 87% of his troops and raising the draft age to 65, is receiving drones from Iran and missiles from North Korea.
She pointed out that the support for Ukraine is only 3.5% of the US defense budget and that military equipment and ammunition should be provided to Ukraine.
It was aimed at former President Trump and hardline Republican lawmakers who oppose support for Ukraine.
US Condemnation and Concerns over North Korea’s Missile Test
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The remarks by Trump and Haley were made in a situation where North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea at 2:53 pm (Korean time) on the day, following the test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-18 type on the 18th of last month.
On the day of North Korea’s missile launch, the US State Department issued a condemnation of the event, noting that the ballistic missile launched on the 14th violated United Nations Security Council resolutions. The department highlighted that this launch, similar to other ballistic missile launches conducted by North Korea in recent years, breached international agreements.
In a statement released the same day, the US Indo-Pacific Command acknowledged their awareness of North Korea’s missile launch and mentioned that they are in close consultation with allies and partner countries. They emphasized that although the incident does not pose an immediate threat to US citizens, US territory, or allies, it underscores the destabilizing impact of North Korea’s illegal weapons program on the region.
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