Trump Compares Sizes With Kim Jong Un: ‘My Nuke Button Is Bigger’

Kim’s New Year address repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States, and of course Trump had to respond.

US President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, boasted about having a bigger and more powerful "nuclear button" than the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The president's Tuesday evening tweet came in response to Kim's New Year's address, in which he repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. He said he has a "nuclear button" on his office desk and warned that "the whole territory of the US is within the range of our nuclear strike."

Trump mocked that assertion, writing, "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

Earlier Tuesday, Trump sounded open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after Kim made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Year’s address. 

But Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations insisted talks would not be meaningful unless the North was getting rid of its nuclear weapons.

In a morning tweet, Trump said the US-led campaign of sanctions and other pressures were beginning to have a "big impact" on North Korea. He referred to the recent, dramatic escape of at least two North Korean soldiers across the heavily militarised border into South Korea. He also alluded to Kim's comments on Monday that he was willing to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics, which will be hosted by South Korea next month.

"Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not – we will see!" Trump said, using his derisive moniker for the young North Korean leader.

In response to Kim’s overture, South Korea on Tuesday offered high-level talks on 9 January at the shared border village of Panmunjom to discuss Olympic cooperation and how to improve overall ties.

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