President Donald Trump tweeted in June that North Korea was “no longer a nuclear threat” following his much-publicized meeting with Kim Jong-un. Rep. Chris Stewart says that’s not the case.
“It would be an example of the president saying something very dramatic and full of hyperbole that just isn’t true,” said Stewart in a podcast interview with UtahPolicy.com. “The threat isn’t eliminated overnight. It’s going to take enormous effort. But, I have seen a real reduction in the threat posture there.”
Stewart recently returned from a trip to the Korean peninsula where he got an up-close look at the situation with North Korea. He says he’s encouraged that the Trump administration is working toward reducing the nuclear threat posed by Kim’s regime, but he’s also concerned about reports that North Korea is still pursuing its ballistic missile program.
“He (Kim) is not going to just dramatically change his behavior overnight. This is the start of a process. I hope we can develop trust. It’s going to take economic pressure, diplomatic pressure and, frankly, it’s going to take the necessity for military pressure. Hopefully, with those three, we can have a positive outcome.”
Stewart also weighed in on President Trump’s assertions that the press is the “enemy of the people.” Stewart said he wouldn’t go that far, but he did make a rather startling claim.
“I have personal first-hand experience with national media figures who knowingly broadcast something they knew wasn’t true,” said Stewart.
Stewart declined to offer proof to back up that claim.
But, he did say that President Trump may be going too far with his anti-press rhetoric.
“To say broadly that the press is an enemy of the American people, I don’t agree with that,” said Stewart
Listen to the full podcast interview here.
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