Branding North Korea's leadership "depraved," President Donald Trump has told Americans that Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear missiles could "very soon threaten our homeland" and vowed a continued campaign of maximum pressure to keep that from happening.
In his first State of the Union speech to the US Congress, Trump's tough rhetoric underscored persistent tensions despite recent talks between North and South Korea that led to Pyongyang's agreement to participate in next month's Winter Olympic games hosted by Seoul.
"North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland," Trump said.
"We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening."
"We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and to our allies," he said.
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"Unmatched power" was the surest defence against threats from rogue regimes, terrorist groups and rivals like China and Russia, he said.
That's why he's asking Congress to remove budget caps on defence spending and fully fund the US military.
The US defence must also include a nuclear weapons arsenal so strong and powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression, the president said.
