We know, of course, that an official declaration of war is a serious constitutional matter and not subject to the whim of any president.
But that appears to be the perception of North Korea today — or at least their rhetoric.
Kim Jong Un’s foreign minister Ri Yong-Ho claimed Monday to the press — outside the UN building in New York City no less — that President Trump has declared war on the communist rogue nation.
We expect he’s referring to either to Trump’s hardline, anti-North Korea speech at the UN last week or to Trump’s tweet in which he warned Ri, “If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!”
Either way, N. Korea is now arguing they’re justified in retaliation in any fashion including shooting down U.S. aircraft, inside or outside of their airspace.
This week’s going to be a wild ride, folks. Buckle up.
Here’s more from NY Daily News…
North Korea’s foreign minister said Monday that President Trump has “declared war” on the communist country, giving Kim Jong Un license to shoot down any U.S. warplanes near his nation.
“At last, he declared a war on our country,” Ri Yong-Ho told reporters in New York City, referring to Trump’s incendiary Union Nations speech about North Korea last week.
“Even the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of the United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war,” Ri said.
Ri added that North Korea now has “every right to take countermeasures,” including shooting down U.S. bomber planes conducting flights by North Korean territory.
Ri’s remarks, in a rare briefing to UN reporters, once again skyrocketed the destructive threats North Korea and the United States have been trading for the past week.
Trump last Tuesday told the UN General Assembly he was ready to “totally destroy” North Korea if it threatened the United States or one of its allies. In a tweet on Saturday, Trump warned that North Korea “won’t be around much longer!” if it remained a menace.
Trump also signed an executive order sanctioning any person or organization who does business with North Korea, adding to a series of sanctions already placed on Kim’s rogue nation.
Trump never officially declared war on North Korea or issued a specific threat of military action, though he has repeatedly warned of mass destruction to come if Kim launches a strike.
Kim, who Trump now calls “Rocket Man,” has been escalating his country’s nuclear and long-range missile tests since Trump took office.
