Former House majority leader Tom DeLay believes North Korea is intentionally moving the United States towards a military confrontation with an ongoing nuclear arms threat.
But, adds the Texas Republican, saber-rattling North Korea leader Kim Jong-un is likely spooked by President Donald Trump's no-nonsense vow to take on the Asian republic if necessary.
"It looks like we're being pushed into [this military] situation.... What I'm really excited about is that Trump has sent the message that he's going to deal from strength, that he's not afraid to pull the trigger," DeLay, a Texas Republican said Friday to Steve Malzberg on "America Talks Live."
"Kim Jong-un [has] got to be thinking right now 'oh my goodness what do I do now? I've gotten myself into this box and how do I get out of it?'
"The only thing that worries me is North Korea obviously can attack South Korean and that would create a horrible situation but we can longer accept North Korea moving towards a nuclear weapon and putting it on missiles."
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U.S. warships were headed to the North Korean coast Friday as the Asian nation prepared to celebrate the 105th birthday of its founder, Kim Il-sung, on Saturday – and possibly fire a ballistic missile or test a nuclear device.
DeLay said he is grateful that Trump and not Hillary Clinton is handling the North Korean crisis.
"Because he'll not only take action if it's necessary, he'll let the military do it without some 30-year-old sitting in the White House making decisions, tactical decisions over in North Korea," DeLay said.
DeLay is the author of "Revival! Revolution! Rebirth!: A Radical Call from the Former Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives," written with Wallace Henley and published by World Ahead Press.
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