John Bolton Urges President to Get Serious About North Korea Threat

President Trump employed some of his signature sarcasm this week on the subject of North Korea, and his former national security adviser wasn’t too fond of it.

After Kim Jong Un and the North Korean military threatened the United States with a “Christmas gift”, (likely to be the imminent launch of a long range, intercontinental ballistic missile), President Trump quipped that it could actually be a “beautiful vase”, insulting dear leader with his flippancy.

Now, former White House insider and geopolitical powerhouse John Bolton is warning the Commander in Chief about this attitude.

In a jarring interview, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton recently told Axios that the administration is not actually applying “maximum pressure” to North Korea. He panned what he described as a “rhetorical policy” that states the regime cannot have nuclear weapons that could hit America – and urged tougher action if Kim defies the U.S.

For instance, he said the Navy could intercept oil being illegally sent to North Korea. He told Axios he hopes the U.S. would say, “We’re going to go back now and make it clear that in a variety of steps, together with our allies, when we say it’s unacceptable, we’re going to demonstrate we will not accept it.”

Bolton has been under fire in recent weeks as attempts to persuade his testimony in Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings have been so-far unsuccessful.