North Korea seems to be the biggest thorn on Donald Trump’s side with the hermit kingdom continually making headlines with their missiles. The White House often responded to these tests with a show of force showing the communists that total annihilation will be the price of crossing the United States.
All these changed after the North Koreans successfully tested their first ICBM. For the first time, Pyongyang has the capability to hit US soil with a possible nuclear strike.
North Korea is a huge challenge for Donald Trump's administration
Nevertheless, American military officials continued to downplay the threat saying that the missiles are not yet capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
So again, the trump administration responded with sanctions as well as warnings with Trump promising “fire and fury” should Kim Jong-Un step out of line.
However, it appears this only angered Pyongyang who then threatened to launch a missile strike on the US island territory of Guam in the Pacific. This has seriously raised the bar with regards to threat to the US and its people.
Guam is a mere 3,400km from the Korean Peninsula, well in range of Pyongyang’s ICBMs. The island is home to a significant population of American citizens as well as a sizable military base which houses, among others, a submarine squadron.
According to The Guardian, Guam’s governor, Eddie Calvo, assured the residents that there is “no threat” from the North Koreans.
However, he also said that the island is prepared for any eventuality. He added that Guam is American soil and not just another military installation.
A spokesman from the Korean People’s Army said on state media that a plan for a strike on Guam will be put into practice as soon as the order comes from their leader Kim. The plan involves attacking Guam with medium range missiles as the newly developed Hwasong-12 ICBM to contain its military bases.
Rising tension with North Korea is a blow to the White House head
According to the Vanity Fair, the rising tensions had an immediate effect on the US domestically and served a mighty blow to Trump’s “winning streak” which he proudly boasts on Twitter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell following his comments on North Korea.
Jeffrey Gundlach, an investment manager and among those who predicted Trump’s victory, also had a few bad news for the White House.
According to Gundlach, the S&P 500 will fall by at least three percent by the end of 2017 even adding that the gains had nothing to do with Trump.
Meanwhile, the US has ramped up its military presence in the Korean Peninsula with its military aircraft joining those from South Korea and Japan in flights across the region. The Donald Trump administration is also in talks with China to put more pressure on its neighbor by cutting off trade. The White House hopes the lack of supplies will force the rogue regime to abandon its nuclear and missile program in favor of friendly relations with its neighbors and the rest of the world.
