Members of the Florida delegation are weighing in on the increased tensions between the United States and North Korea as the communist regime in charge of that Asian nation continues to advance its nuclear ambitions and threatened to launch weapons against Guam.
According to Action News Jax, during a speech in Jacksonville on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who sits on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned North Korea about what would happen if it launched a nuclear strike.
“The day North Korea decides to attack the United States or any neighbor would be the last day of the North Korean regime and the last day of Kim Jong Un’s life," Rubio said in Jacksonville. "And I think he knows that."
Rubio also defended President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, which included a warning that a nuclear strike would lead to “fire and fury like the world has never seen,” against North Korea.
“I don't think the rhetoric is the problem,” Rubio said. “I think the problem is a lunatic in North Korea with nuclear weapons."
Florida Democrats have offered mixed reactions so far with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., calling out the president’s rhetoric.
"President Donald Trump's matching rhetoric with an erratic, unstable dictator like North Korea's Kim Jong Un is extremely dangerous and recklessly escalates this grave situation,” she said on Wednesday. “Instead, the United States must face down this threat by leading with a firm, thoughtful strategy that unifies the international community and engages China against North Korea’s unacceptable aggression.”
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., sent a more measured statement to Action News Jax.
"North Korea poses a serious threat to the U.S. and all options should be on the table to protect the American people,” Nelson said. “We either do nothing, go to war or negotiate a stand down, and so far we’ve seen no sign that they’re willing to negotiate."
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