Trump had a confusing response when Howard Stern asked him about North Korea in 2006 Business Insider
RobertsReuters Donald Trump
caption  Donald Trump . source Joshua Roberts/Reuters
âThis is the final question â Stern said toward the end of a 2006 episode of âThe Howard Stern Showâ in which  Trump  appeared. âAre you ready? You are the president of the United States. What do we do about North Korea?â
âI would be so tough  you have no idea â  Trump  replied.
When Stern asked  Trump  to elaborate   Trump  said  âYou have no idea how tough Iâd be.â
âYou would -â Stern began  before  Trump  interjected with âEmbargoes?â
âWell  I think Iâd go beyond embargoes â  Trump  said. âI would be so tough  but I wouldnât send [then-Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice in to negotiate.â
Stern asked why  to which  Trump  replied  âI donât think sheâs tough enough. I mean  I donât think sheâs a tough person.â
When Stern asked if Rice was a âlightweight â  Trump  said he thought she was ânot tough enough to do a good job.â
Eleven years later  North Korea is one of the  Trump  administrationâs most pressing threats  and  Trump  has responded to it with combative rhetoric.
In August  following reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency that North Korea could make nuclear warheads small enough to fit on missiles and could have as many as 60 nuclear devices   Trump  issued a sharp warning to the country.
North Korea âbest not make any more threats to the United Statesâ or it will âbe met with fire and fury like the world has never seen â  Trump  said at the time  according to press pool reports.
 Trump  ramped up  his  rhetoric against North Korea when the United Nations General Assembly convened on September 23  saying that ârocket manâ Kim Jong Un was on a âsuicide mission â and that if  he  did not back down  the US would âhave no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.â
caption  Donald Trump . source Joshua Roberts/Reuters
âThis is the final question â Stern said toward the end of a 2006 episode of âThe Howard Stern Showâ in which  Trump  appeared. âAre you ready? You are the president of the United States. What do we do about North Korea?â
âI would be so tough  you have no idea â  Trump  replied.
When Stern asked  Trump  to elaborate   Trump  said  âYou have no idea how tough Iâd be.â
âYou would -â Stern began  before  Trump  interjected with âEmbargoes?â
âWell  I think Iâd go beyond embargoes â  Trump  said. âI would be so tough  but I wouldnât send [then-Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice in to negotiate.â
Stern asked why  to which  Trump  replied  âI donât think sheâs tough enough. I mean  I donât think sheâs a tough person.â
When Stern asked if Rice was a âlightweight â  Trump  said he thought she was ânot tough enough to do a good job.â
Eleven years later  North Korea is one of the  Trump  administrationâs most pressing threats  and  Trump  has responded to it with combative rhetoric.
In August  following reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency that North Korea could make nuclear warheads small enough to fit on missiles and could have as many as 60 nuclear devices   Trump  issued a sharp warning to the country.
North Korea âbest not make any more threats to the United Statesâ or it will âbe met with fire and fury like the world has never seen â  Trump  said at the time  according to press pool reports.
 Trump  ramped up  his  rhetoric against North Korea when the United Nations General Assembly convened on September 23  saying that ârocket manâ Kim Jong Un was on a âsuicide mission â and that if  he  did not back down  the US would âhave no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.â