Countering North Korea's Rogue Regime | Morning Joe

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AS CURRENTLY EXISTS.
>> LET'S TURN TO FOREIGN POLICY. WE'RE LEARNING CIA DIRECTOR MIKE
POMPEO IN SOUTH KOREA DAYS AFTER NORTH KOREA CARRIED OUT ANOTHER
FAILED MISSILE LAUNCH. OFFICIALS TELL NBC NEWS POMP I
DON'T IN SEOUL WITH HIS WIFE AND HAS MEETINGS SCHEDULED WITH U.S.
EMBASSY AND MILITARY OFFICIALS STATIONED THERE.
SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED FRIDAY THAT NORTH KOREA LAUNCH
ADD SHORT RANGE MISSILE FROM AN AIRFIELD NORTH OF PYONGYANG.
THEY SAY THAT MISSILE DID NOT LEAVE NORTH KOREAN TERRITORY
EXPLODING JUST AFTER LAUNCH. IN THAT INTERVIEW WITH CBS
PRESIDENT TRUMP DISCUSSED WHETHER OR NOT MILITARY ACTION
MAY BE THE NEXT STEP IN DEALING WITH KIM JONG-UN WHILE OFFERING
AN EYEBROW RAISING TAKE ON THE YOUNG LEADER.
>> MR. PRESIDENT YOU SAID DON'T TEST A MISSILE, THEY DID TEST A
MISSILE. IS THE PRESSURE NOT WORKING?
>> I DIDN'T SAY DON'T TEST. HE HAS TO DO WHAT HE HAS TO DO,
BUT WE WILL NOT BE HAPPY. >> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> IF HE DOES A NUCLEAR TEST I WON'T BE HAPPY.
I DON'T BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT OF CHINA, WHO IS A VERY RESPECTED
MAN WILL BE HAPPY EITHER. >> NOT HAPPY MEANING MILITARY
ACTION. >> I DON'T KNOW.
WE'LL SEE. >> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE NORTH
KOREAN LEADER? >> I REALLY HAVE NO COMMENT ON
HIM. PEOPLE ARE SAYING IS HE SANE?
I HAVE NO IDEA. I CAN TELL YOU THIS, AND A LOT
OF PEOPLE DON'T LIKE WHEN I SAY IT.
HE WAS A YOUNG MAN OF 26 OR 27 WHEN HE TOOK OVER FROM HIS
FATHER, WHEN HIS FATHER DIED. HE'S DEALING WITH OBVIOUSLY VERY
TOUGH PEOPLE, IN PARTICULAR THE GENERALS AND OTHERS.
AND AT A VERY YOUNG AGE HE WAS ABLE TO ASSUME POWER.
A LOT OF PEOPLE I'M SURE TRIED TO TAKE THAT POWER AWAY, WHETHER
IT WAS HIS UNCLE OR ANYBODY ELSE, AND HE WAS ABLE TO DO IT.
SO OBVIOUSLY HE'S A SMART COOKIE.
>> ALL RIGHT. JOINING US NOW COLUMNIST FOR
"THE DAILY BEAST," AUTHOR OF "NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN, NORTH KOREA
TAKES ON THE WORLD." JUST THE WAY PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
BEEN TALKING ABOUT KIM JONG-UN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS SORT
OF TELLING HIS BACK STORY AND HOW DIFFICULT IT MUST HAVE BEEN,
HOW IMPRESSED HE IS A 27-YEAR-OLD COULD RUN NORTH
KOREA THAT WAY. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
RHETORIC? IS THERE SOMETHING STRATEGIC
THERE WITH THAT FLATTERY? >> I THINK THERE PROBABLY IS.
I THINK THEY WANT TO TALK TO KIM JONG-UN EVENTUALLY.
THEY FIGURE THE BEST THING TO DO IS FLATTER HIM.
I DON'T THINK THAT WILL WORK. WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING IT.
IT'S OKAY FOR ANALYSTS TO SORT OF TALK ABOUT KIM JONG-UN'S RISE
TO POWER AND WHAT HE DID TO STAY THERE BUT I DON'T THINK THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SHOULD DO THAT.
WE SHOULD BE BEING A VERY TOUGH POSITION RIGHT NOW LARGELY
BECAUSE DIPLOMACY IS ONLY GOING TO WORK WHEN KIM JONG-UN FEELS
HE HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO DISARM. >> GORDON, ON THAT POINT, NORTH
KOREA AND ITS LEADER ARE SO ISOLATED.
THOSE WORDS THAT THE PRESIDENT SPOKE IN DESCRIBING THE
PRESIDENT OF NORTH KOREA, I MEAN, IT IS LITERALLY LIKE
LISTENING TO A PROFILE OUT OF LANGLEY HAVING PROVIDED THE
PRESIDENT FOR THE RHETORIC TO USE.
DON'T YOU THINK THAT MIGHT AT SOME LEVEL HAVE SOME IMPACT ON
THE LEADERSHIP OF NORTH KOREA? >> IT MIGHT.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT THE NORTH KOREAN
LEADERSHIP IT ACTS UNDER CERTAIN CONSTRAINTS AND INCENTIVES.
I DON'T THINK THOSE INCENTIVES AND CONSTRAINTS ARE GOING TO
CHANGE BECAUSE OF THE PRESIDENT CHARACTERIZING KIM JONG-UN.
KIM JONG-UN IS GOING TO MAKE CERTAIN DECISIONS.
HE'LL DO THAT. I THINK PRETTY MUCH WILL BE
DIVORCED FROM WHAT TRUMP SAYS ABOUT HIM, WHETHER IT'S FLATTERY
OR WHETHER IT'S CRITICISM. >> GORDON, ELISE JORDAN HERE.
I'VE BEEN PERSONALLY CONCERNED ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S RHETORIC
CONCERNING SOUTH KOREA. HE'S MENTIONED HE WANTS TO
RE-EVALUATE THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH SOUTH KOREA WHILE
HIS TALK ON CHINA HAS BEEN MORE CONCILIATORY ON TRADE AFTER
HEATED RHETORIC ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL. THE BILLION DOLLAR DEFENSE IN
KOREA, SUGGESTED SOUTH KOREA SHOULD PAY FOR IT.
HOW DAMAGING IS THIS TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SOUTH KOREA AT
A TIME WHEN WE DO NEED A ELECTRONIC ALLIANCE.
>> YOU PUT YOUR FINGER ON IT, WHAT I THINK IS THE WORST
MISTAKE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MADE IN THEIR FIRST 100 DAYS.
WE HAVE A POSITION WHERE WE'RE GOING EASY ON CHINA ON TRADE
BECAUSE WE WANT THEIR COOPERATION ON NORTH KOREA.
WE NEED SOUTH KOREA'S COOPERATION JUST AS MUCH. HERE
WE ARE CRITICIZING THE U.S. TRADE AGREEMENT WITH SOUTH
KOREA. WE SHOULDN'T DO THAT.
NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS WHEN SOUTH KOREA AND UNITED STATES ARE ON
DIFFERENT PAGES WHEN IT COMES TO NORTH KOREA.
WITH THOSE KMEBS ABOUT THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT AND PAID FOR
ANTI-MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM, THAAD, WE HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE IN
SOUTH KOREA AT A TIME WHEN THERE'S AN ELECTION.
THERE'S A MAY 9th ELECTION, THESE COMMENTS HELP THE
ANTI-AMERICAN CANDIDATE. NO GOOD WILL COME FROM THESE
COMMENTS. I HOPE OVER TIME WE'LL BE ABLE
TO REPAIR DAMAGE. IF WE GET AN ANTI-AMERICAN
PRESIDENT IN SOUTH KOREA, THAT WILL CAUSE US PROBLEMS FOR
YEARS. >> TO YOUR POINT, ELISE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S RHETORIC ON SOUTH KOREA, THE NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER BROKE WITH THE PRESIDENT OVER COMMENTS SOUTH
KOREA SHOULD PAY FOR THE MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM TO ATTACK NORTH
KOREA FROM THE NORTH. >> WHAT I TOLD OUR COUNTERPART
UNTIL ANY NEGOTIATION THE DEAL IS IN PLACE.
WE'LL ADHERE TO OUR WORD. WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAS ASKED US
TO DO IS LOOK ACROSS ALL OF OUR ALLIANCES AND HAVE THE
APPROPRIATE BURDEN SHARING, RESPONSIBILITY SHARING.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WITH OUR GREAT ALLY SOUTH KOREA.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WITH NATO. WHAT YOU'VE SEEN, BECAUSE OF THE
PRESIDENT'S LEADERSHIP, MORE AND MORE NATIONS ARE CONTRIBUTING
MORE TO OUR COLLECTIVE DEFENSE. >> THE QUESTION IS DURING THIS
TIME OF HEIGHTENED TENSION WITH NORTH KOREA, WHY ARE WE ALSO
PUTTING SOUTH KOREA ON EDGE, OUR ALLY IN THIS FIGHT?
>> PERSONALLY IT JUST MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A TIME WHEN WE NEED A STRONGER ALLIANCE
WITH SOUTH KOREA REALLY AT ANY OTHER POINT IN HISTORY.
YET PRESIDENT TRUMP SEEMS TO BE GOING OUT OF HIS WAY TO ALIENATE
SOUTH KOREANS. H.R. McMASTER'S COMMENTS ARE
INTERESTING JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE SO DIVERGENT.
WE'VE SEEN THIS CONSISTENTLY WITH THE TRUMP FOREIGN POLICY
WHERE ADVISERS ARE GOING AROUND ON DAMAGE CONTROL AND HAVE A
MESSAGE THAT'S CONTRADICTORY TO THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE PRESIDENT IS THE COMMANDER IN
CHIEF. SO WHO IS REALLY RUNNING THE
FOREIGN POLICY OF THIS COUNTRY? >> SO GORDON CHANG, LET'S TALK
ABOUT THE RHETORIC AS WELL TOWARD CHINA FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP, THE WAY HE SORT OF SINCE THAT MEETING, IT SEEMS TO ME
WITH PRESIDENT XI AND MAR-A-LAGO, PRAISED CHINESE
PRESIDENT, CHANGED HIS TONE COMPLETELY FROM THE CAMPAIGN.
IS THAT SORT OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND
PRESIDENT XI HAVING AN IMPACT HERE OR WILL IT HAVE AN IMPACT
ON THE RELATIONSHIP WITH NORTH KOREA?
>> I THINK IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT.
BUT WHAT ALSO HAD AN IMPACT WAS TRUMP AUTHORIZING MISSILE STRIKE
ON SYRIA, CHINESE FRIEND, WHEN XI JINPING WAS NEXT TO HIM.
I THINK THAT STUNNED THE CHINESE.
I CAN'T PROVE IT, BUT I THINK WHAT HAPPENED IS IT INTIMIDATED
CHINESE AND THEY WENT OVER AND TOLD NORTH KOREANS DON'T CONDUCT
YOUR SIXTH NUCLEAR TEST. THAT'S THE THING THAT HASN'T
HAPPENED IN ALL OF THIS. YES, THERE HAVE BEEN TESTS OF
SHORT RANGE AND INTERMEDIATE MISSILES BUT THEY HAVEN'T SET
OFF A NUKE. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE REALLY
CONCERNED ABOUT. HERE WHAT WE HAVE WITH TRUMP AND
XI JINPING AND TRUMP AND UTERTE AND THAILAND IS COALITION
BUILDING. WE NEED TO DO THAT.
OF COURSE COALITION BUILDING WITH OUR ALLIES SOUTH KOREA.
ALL THESE THINGS HAVE TO BE DONE IN COORDINATED FASHION.
I THINK "TRIUMPH" WAS TALKING OFF THE RANGE IN THE REUTERS
INTERVIEW WHEN HE MENTIONED THAAD AND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT.
I THINK HE WILL NOT TRY TO

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