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In interview Trump says 'major conflict' with North Korea is possible

By BIANCA PADRÓ OCASIO

President Donald Trump said Thursday there was a chance the U.S. could face a “major, major conflict” with North Korea, though his administration is still not discarding a diplomatic approach to restraint the country’s nuclear and missile programs.

"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters.

“We'd love to solve things diplomatically but it's very difficult," he added.

Trump’s statements come just a day after his top national security advisers gathered U.S. lawmakers for a rare briefing on the North Korean nuclear proliferation dispute.

The president also sympathized with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. saying it must have been a “very hard thing” to take over his country at an early age.

"I'm not giving him credit or not giving him credit, I'm just saying that's a very hard thing to do. As to whether or not he's rational, I have no opinion on it. I hope he's rational," he said.

During his presidential campaign, Trump did “give credit” to the North Korean leader for having taken office at such a young age.

“If you look at North Korea — this guy, he’s like a maniac, OK? And you have to give him credit. How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals, and all of a sudden — you know, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it. How does he do that?” he said in early 2016.

The president also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for attempting to keep the dispute with North Korea under control, but admitted his efforts could prove unsuccessful.

“I believe he is trying very hard. He certainly doesn’t want to see turmoil and death. He doesn’t want to see it. He is a good man. He is a very good man and I got to know him very well,” Trump said.

“With that being said, he loves China and he loves the people of China. I know he would like to be able to do something, perhaps it's possible that he can’t,” the president added.

As for a future phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Trump said he wouldn’t want to do so without first consulting with President Xi, to avoid tensions with Beijing.

“My problem is that I have established a very good personal relationship with President Xi," said Trump. "I really feel that he is doing everything in his power to help us with a big situation. So I wouldn’t want to be causing difficulty right now for him.”

Trump’s tone contrasted with his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who said in an interview earlier Thursday the U.S. would prefer to resolve the North Korean conflict through diplomatic talks, and didn’t think the North Korean dictator was “insane.”

“He may be ruthless. He may be a murderer. He may be someone who in many respects we would say by our standards is irrational. But he is not insane,” Tillerson told Fox News.