Was There A Strategic Purpose In President Donald Trump's Statement? | Morning Joe

ONE MORE REASON WHY DONALD TRUMP AND OTHER PRESIDENTS SHOULD
NEVER TALK THIS WAY. >> IT'S WHY WHEN A PRESIDENT HAS
SAID SOMETHING LIKE THIS, IT'S USUALLY CALCULATED, VETTED AND
GONE THROUGH ALL THE NATIONAL SECURITY CHANNELS.
TO PUT A POINT ON THE LIKES OF WHICH THE UNITED STATES HAS
NEVER SOON, HE USED THAT WHEN TALKING ABOUT THE OPIOID CRISIS
AND BORDERLINE. HERE'S PRESIDENT TRUMP
YESTERDAY. >> IT IS A PROBLEM THE LIKES OF
WHICH WE HAVE NOT SEEN, I WOULD SAY THE LIKES OF WHICH THAT
COUNTRY HAS NEVER SEEN THIS KIND OF STRENGTH.
>> STEVE KORNACKI, THAT COMES AGAINST THE BACK DROP, DAVID
TALKED ABOUT A SIGNIFICANT WEEK IN TERMS OF SANCTIONS, A BILLION
DOLLARS, A THIRD OF THEIR EXPORTS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM.
UP HAVE SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON SAYING WE'RE NOT FOR
ROOJ EEM CHANGE, WE JUST WANT TO YOU PULL BACK YOUR NUCLEAR
PROGRAM. >> IT INTERESTING BECAUSE THE
THING THAT I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT LISTENING TO HIM
YESTERDAY, THINKING ABOUT IT AFTERWARDS IS WHO WAS THE
AUDIENCE THAT WAS IN HIS MIND AS HE WAS DELIVERS THAT?
IS THIS THE PRESIDENT WHO WAS THINKING OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?
THIS THIS ANNIN STINT ON HIM TO TRY TO SOUND TOUGH TO THE VOTERS
WHO ELECTED HIM? I THINK THAT WAS INTERESTING
LISTENING TING TO DAVID A FEW MS WAS THE IDEA MAYBE THIS WAS
INTENDED AND MAYBE THE AUDIENCE IN HIS MIND OF THE CHINESE AND
MAYBE IN HIS MIND THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOME STRATEGIC PURPOSE
HERE OF MAKING THE CHINESE THINK WE BETTER TAKE THIS SANCTION
MESSAGE MORE SERIOUSLY. IS THAT A MESSAGE THAT THE
CHINESE RECEIVED FROM THIS? IF THIS IS WHAT THE PRESIDENT
WAS THINKING, IS THAT HOW THEY'RE LIKELY TO RESPOND TO IT?
ARE THEY LIKELY TO TAKE IT A DIFFERENT WAY?
>> CHINA AND THE U.S. ARE PLAYING A LITTLE BIT OF A GOOD
COP/BAD COP DIPLOMATIC ROUND HERE.
CHINA HAS BEEN WARNING NORTH KOREA ON ITS OWN BUT ALSO SAYING
YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO HAVE TO GOT INTO THIS DIPLOMATIC ROUND,
THIS GUY'S CRAZY, THIS GUY'S GOING TO GO AFTER YOU.
THERE IS THAT DYNAMIC HERE. SO THE MORE THE PRESIDENT
RATCHETS UP THE RHETORIC, THE MORE THE PRESIDENT -- IT WOULD
BE A DISASTER FOR CHINA, FOR SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN, THE WHOLE
REGION. I THINK THAT'S AT PLAY HERE.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS KIND OF RHETORIC IS YOU GET STUCK IN IT.
JOE MADE THE RIGHT POINT, YOU IN EFFECT DRAW A RED LINE AND
PEOPLE SOMETIMES CALL YOU ON IT. THE NORTH KOREANS ARE VERY GOOD
AT THAT. THEIR BUSINESS IS DEFINES.
SO THEY WAIT FOR MOMENTS LIKE THIS TO PUNCTURE THE OTHER SIDE
WITH ACTIONS OF THEIR OWN. >> THE NORTH KOREANS HAVE PLAYED
THE UNITED STATES QUITE EFFECTIVELY FOR THE PAST 30 I
ASKED THE QUESTION YESTERDAY, IT WAS MORE OF A RHETORICAL
QUESTION AND I THINK UNFORTUNATELY I KNOW THE ANSWER
TO IT. DO WE REALLY BELIEVE -- DOES
ANYBODY AT THIS TAPE REALLY BELIEVE, DO PEOPLE THAT KNOW
THIS PRED REALLY BELIEVE HE'S GOING TO BE THE PRESIDENT THAT'
LOUS NORTH KOREA TO GETTENONS THAT CAN STRIKE SEATTLE,
PORTLAND, SAN FRANCISCO AND POSSIBLY LOS ANGELES?
IS HE GOING TO LET THAT BE WRITTEN ABOUT HIM IN THE HISTORY
BOOKS AND I JUST DON'T SEE THAT AS A POSSIBILITY.
I MEAN, AS FRIGHTENINGS THAT IS, I JUST DON'T THINK HE HAS THE
MINDSET TO SAY, WELL, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT SO I
GUESS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONTAIN
THAT NUCLEAR THREAT LIKE WE'VE CONTAINED PAKISTAN'S NUCLEAR
THREAT, LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTAIN IRAN'S NUCLEAR
THREAT. WHEN YOU START THINKING THAT
WAY, WILLIE, SUDDENLY EVERYTHING DAVID IGNATIUS IS SAYING AND
EVERYTHING THAT MIKA AND I HAVE BEEN HEARING OFF THE RECORD THAT
PEOPLE ARE PREPARING FOR A WAR WITH NORTH KOREA, PREPARING FOR
ALL THE POSSIBILITIES OF WAR WITH NORTH KOREA FROM THE SOUTH
TO THE NORTH OR DEFENDING AN ATTACK FROM THE NORTH TO THE
SOUTH SUDDENLY UNFORTUNATELY IT SEEMS FRIGHTENINGLY REAL.
>> I AGREE WITH YOU HE WILL NOT AND DOESS NOT WANT TO BE THE
PRESIDENT TO ALLOW NORTH KOREA TO LAUNCH A NUCLEAR ATTACK
AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. THE QUESTION IS HOW DOES HE STOP
IT? IS HE WILLING TO STRIKE
PREEMPTIVELY AGAINST NORTH KOREA WITH ALL THOSE IMPLICATIONS?
AND HE'S ALSO THE FIRST PRESIDENT WE'VE HAD SINCE UT
TALKED ABOUT BILL CLINTON IN '94 THAT NORTH KOREA IGNORED, WHEN
NORTH KOREA PUT OUT THE RHETORIC ABOUT ENGULFING IN FLAMES AND
HE'S THE FIRST TO RESPOND WITH COMMENT AS STRONG AS WITH FIRE
AND FURY. THE PROBLEM IS WE'VE HAD A LOT
OF THANKSGIVING HAPPENING AND HISTORY IS SPEEDING FORWARD MUCH
MORE QUICKLY THAN DONALD TRUMP WOULD HAVE EXPECTED, THAN A LOT
OF OUR GENERALS WOULD HAVE EXPECTED.
THINGS ARE HAPPENING FASTER OUT OF NORTH KOREA WITH THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THESE WEAPONS THAT WE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED.
BARACK OBAMA, WHEN THEY WERE SITTING AND TALKING DURING THE
TRANSITION FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T HEARD THIS YET, HE SAT DOWN WITH
DONALD TRUMP AND SAID YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT OBAMACARE, GO AHEAD,
DO IT, HAVE FUN. WHAT'S GOING TO KEEP YOU AWAKE
AT NIGHT IS GOING TO BE NORTH KOREA.
THAT'S WHAT YOU BETTER START FOCUSING ON NOW.
AND OF COURSE THAT'S PROVED TO BE UNFORTUNATELY ALL TOO TRUE
SIX MONTHS LATER BUT I DON'T EVEN THINK THE O OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION OR MANY FOREIGN POLICY EXPERTS WOULD HAVE
EXPECTED THEIR NUKE CLER OR MISSILE TECHNOLOGY TO MOVE THIS
QUICKLY FORWARD IN SIX MONTHS. >> AND IT TIES INTO YOUR BOOK AS
YOU TALK ABOUT THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN WITH STEVE BANNON
INFLUENCING -- IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE STEVE BANNON.
WHERE IS THAT MINDSET COMING FROM NOW IS.
>> DONALD TRUMP IS NOW IN THE WEST WING, NOT SURROUNDED BY
PEOPLE LIKE STEVE BANNON, WHO CAN PRESENT A MORE -- BANNON IS
NOT A GUY IN HIS CABINET WHO WOULD BE PUSHING FOR THIS.
WHEN TRUMP GOING TO BEDMINISTER, HE TENDS TO REACT, IT WAS AT
BEDMINISTER WHERE HE DEAVER --
DECIDED TO FIRE JAMES COMEY. >> DAVID IGNATIUS, THIS HAS
ALWAYS BEEN THE CONFLICT AT THE CENTER OF DONALD TRUMP'S FOREIGN
POLICY, EVEN DURING THE CAMPAIGN DONALD TRUMP WOULD SAY WE FOUGHT
TOO MANY WARS, WE NEED TO BRING OUR SONS HOME, LET EVERYBODY
ELSE WORRY ABOUT THEIR REGIONS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO SPEND MONEY
ON MORE MISSILES. AND AT THE SAME TIME IN THE SAME
SPEECH HE WOULD SAY WE'RE GOING TO DESTROY ISIS, WE'RE GOING TO
RUN THEM INTO THE GROUND. WE'RE GOING TO WIPE THEM OFF THE
FACE OF THE EARTH, IT'S EASY, WE'RE GOING TO DO IT QUICKLY,
WE'RE GOING TO STAND UP TO THE IRANIANS, WE'RE GOING TO TEAR UP
THAT NUCLEAR DEAL. THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN TRUMP THE
ISOLATIONIST WHEN HE'S PLAYING FOR THE CROWDS BUT THEN THERE'S
BEEN TRUMP, THE JACKSONIAN. THE PUREST SENSE OF THE TERM,
WE'RE GOING TO GO OVER AND DESTROY ANYBODY QUICKLY THAT
GIVES US ANY TROUBLE AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK HOME.
>> I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, JOE. I THINK THERE'S THAT TENSION IN
TRUMP.
ONE OF THE THINGS HE'S BEEN CONSISTENT ABOUT IS SAYING TO
U.S. ALLIES AND POTENTIAL PARTNERS LIKE CLN, EITHER YOU
STEP UP AND HELP MORE, WHETHER IT'S PURCHASING WWEAPONS, EITHE
YOU STEP UP AND HELP MORE OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE CARE
OF THIS. DEAL WITH THIS OR WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE A WORLD OF FIRE AND FURY, WHICH IS NOT IN YOUR INTEREST.
SINCE RIGHT AFTER THE ELECTION, I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO MEMBERS
OF THE INCOMING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TALK ABOUT
FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. NORTH KOREA ALWAYS WAS AT THE
TOP OF THE LIST. THIS IS ONE THEY HAVE KNOWN WAS
COMING AT THEM, THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR OPTIONS NOW FOR SIX
MONTHS AND TO BE HONEST, THEY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND ANY.
THAT'S WHY THE GENERALS AND THE CIA ARE BEING TASKED SO SURGELY
TO LOOK AT THIS IS BECAUSE SO FAR THE ANSWERS KEEP COMING
BACK, IT'S A BLOODY MESS THAT LEAVES EVERYBODY WORSE OFF.
>> WE'VE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE ON THIS STORY, JOE.
>> I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY AND, WILLIE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
AMERICANS NEED TO KNOW. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS
LITERALLY BEEN KEEPING THEM UP ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT FOR
MONTHS NOW. IT'S NOT LIKE ANY OF THIS IS A
SURPRISE. THEY SEE THIS COMING AND THEY
HAVE BEEN LOSING SLEEP OVER IT OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS.
THEY ISN'T DIDN'T WANT THE PRESIDENT TO ESCALATE THINGS
YESTERDAY THE WAY THEY DID BUT, AS DAVID SAID, THEY'VE SEEN THIS
TRAIN COMING AND THEY'RE PREPARING FOR IT BUT THERE ARE
JUST NO GOOD OPTIONS. >> AND THEY'RE PREPARING WITH A
LOT MORE THAN RHETORIC AS DAVID SAID.
STILL AHEAD, RANKING MEMBER. FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
SENATOR BEN CARDIN JOINS US AND A MAN EXPERIENCED WITH THIS
NORTH KOREA PROBLEM, WILLIAM COHEN.
HOW CLINTON'S WARNING COMPARES TO WHAT WE HEARD FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP YESTERDAY. AND LATER MICHAEL BESCHLOSS
JOINS US ON WHAT HAPPENS TO B

Was There A Strategic Purpose In President Donald Trump's Statement? | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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