President Donald Trump is "doing all the right things" in being ready to use a military option against North Korea, if that proves necessary, Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Tuesday.
"One of the things people have to understand, for diplomacy to work, especially against adversaries, is you have to have a military option available," the Illinois Republican, who serves in the Air National Guard, told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" program.
"Otherwise,what forces diplomacy if you don't have a stick option, the carrot and the stick?"
Trump is being unpredictable, he continued, which is "essential."
"You see that in the actions of [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un, reaching out to Republicans to say 'what's this guy about?' said Kinzinger. "So yeah, be ready, and from a congressional perspective, we have to give the military all the resources they need there is a readiness crisis right now that has got to be alleviated."
On Monday, Trump tweeted that the United States has been unsuccessful in its dealings with North korea for 25 years, and Kinzinger said that in the past, "nobody has been serious" about saying a military option is on the table.
"I say the military option is not good," said Kinzinger. "But the unthinkable thing is North Korea with a nuclear arsenal that can exceed our ability to defend ourselves or our allies. That's what we are on track for...the president is right. All we have done is say 'we will build something for you. We will do something nice for you.' North Korea said 'cool, we will take it, and we will also build nukes.'"
Meanwhile, China has always calculated that having North Korea on its border is a better buffer zone than it would have by allowing a unified Korean peninsula, said Kinzinger.
"The United States is finally serious and the president is finally serious," the congressman said. "They also know if this turns into a shooting war, the United States and our allies win undoubtedly and also means we have way more influence in that area. Their calculation has changed."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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