President Trump disturbed some in the press after vowing in his United Nations speech to "destroy" North Korea should the country attack the U.S.

In his speech, Trump referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man" and said he was on a "suicide mission" in advancing the country's nuclear weapons development.

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," he said.

On Twitter, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell said Trump "threatened to commit a war crime" by threatening North Korea.

At UN Trump threatened to commit a war crime: "totally destroy North Korea." — Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) September 19, 2017

A reporter for the left-leaning Huffington Post website seemed to suggest Trump's harsh comments may justify the rogue state's actions.

"Gee, Kim Jon-un is so irrational for wanting nuclear weapons."

Gee, Kim Jon-un is so irrational for wanting nuclear weapons https://t.co/kBHESh13C7 — Jessica Schulberg (@jessicaschulb) September 19, 2017

Steve Peoples, a reporter for the Associated Press, reacted, "'Rocket man' may get headlines, but the president of the United States just threatened to eradicate a nation of 25 million people."

Trump and officials in the administration have offered mixed public signals as to how the U.S. would respond to perceived threats from North Korea, at times suggesting a preferred diplomatic route and other times more explicitly suggesting military action.

This goes beyond "fire and fury" --> https://t.co/k7lTBiiMKt — Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) September 19, 2017

Last month, Trump said the U.S. would rain "fire and fury" on North Korea if Kim upped the country's aggressive missile tests.

Reacting to Trump's speech at the U.N., NBC reporter Hallie Jackson said, "This goes beyond 'fire and fury.'"