Kristof: Trump’s Comments Are ‘Unhelpful’ Because They Fit into the ‘North Korea Narrative’

EXCERPT:

CAMEROTA: "Having just returned from there, what do you think about all of the rhetoric coming out of the White House?"
KRISTOF: "I think that President Trump is essentially trying to intimidate North Korea into backing off. I —"
CAMEROTA: "But are comments like that helpful, the fact that there's a dual track and we're prepared for military if need be, but we're trying to work diplomatically?"
KRISTOF: "No, they are unhelpful, both because they fit into the North Korean narrative, and also because — we are already on a hair trigger but they put us on even more of a hair trigger and there’s a real risk of some kind of an accident, North Korea intercepts a B-1 bomber, plane gets shot down and they respond. We have looked at military options since 1969 when North Korea shot down a U.S. military plane with all aboard lost, and there are no useful military options. The latest study showed 2 million people dying in Seoul and Tokyo alone, 1 million people dying on the first day of the war. I mean, this would be the worst war since World War II and I left North Korea felling that that kind of war is avoidable, but may not be avoided."