Trump on North Korea: ‘We want progress, not provocation’

President Trump called for “progress, not provocation” with North Korea on Saturday in Vietnam, following his meetings with Asian leaders this week on the growing nuclear threat from leader Kim Jong Un — a stark contrast from his past “fire and fury” comments.

“Safety and security are goals that should unite all civilized nations. We want progress, not provocation,” Trump said at a press conference in Hanoi alongside Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

“We want stability, not chaos, and we want peace, not war,” Trump said. 

Trump reiterated his speech to the South Korean National Assembly on Wednesday, calling for unity with Asian allies to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. 

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“All responsible nations must act now to ensure that North Korea’s rogue regime stops threatening the world with unthinkable loss of life,” Trump said at the briefing, referring to the nation’s continued nuclear threats against the U.S. 

The president’s comments in Vietnam come just hours after his tweet mocking Kim Jong Un as “short and fat,” and saying he tries “so hard to be his friend” despite several months of saber-rattling between the two leaders. 

Trump has said in the past that the U.S. would “totally destroy” North Korea if it posed a threat to the U.S. or its allies.