Bolton: N. Korea Only Serious About Finishing a 'Deliverable Nuclear Weapon'

President Trump's so-called "madman approach" to North Korea is getting "real credit" from some in the mainstream media this week after Pyongyang signaled its willingness to negotiate.

The Washington Post wrote Tuesday that foreign policy experts believe Trump's strategy has "helped move the needle — however temporarily or tentatively — because of his 'madman' approach to North Korea and/or the sanctions spurred by the Trump administration's efforts."

New York Times national security reporter David Sanger told CNN, "I think President Trump deserves enormous credit for ratcheting up that pressure and making sure those sanctions were real. There was no reason the Obama administration couldn't have done that, and they didn't."

Ian Bremmer, the head of the Eurasia Group and a frequent Trump critic, told CBS News "there's no question that Trump has moved the needle."

Lt. Col. Michael Waltz (Ret.) said on "Outnumbered" that he still strongly doubts North Korea is serious about curtailing its efforts to build a long-range nuclear missile that can hit the United States.

"This is a play right out of the North Korean playbook. They've done this year after year," he said, predicting the country's missile engineers are working like "busy little bees" since the Olympics while Kim "buys time" on the diplomatic front.

He said Pyongyang wants to "drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States" by assuring Seoul it will not be attacked.

Marie Harf, who served in the Obama State Department, said Kim Jong Un may change his behavior if he thinks Trump is serious about using military force.

The president's rhetoric against Kim hit its peak in late November, when he famously referred to him as "little rocket man."

The Chinese Envoy, who just returned from North Korea, seems to have had no impact on Little Rocket Man. Hard to believe his people, and the military, put up with living in such horrible conditions. Russia and China condemned the launch. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2017

Weeks earlier, Trump suggested he was growing tired of diplomacy and the U.S. would "do what has to be done."

I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017

...Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017

Watch the discussion above.

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