Trump promises an 'event the likes of which nobody's ever seen' if North Korea attacks Guam

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Donald Trump laid out parts of his strategy Thursday to make the US a military superpower, and to push back North Korea in the midst of a seemingly nuclear standoff.

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"He has disrespected our country greatly, he has said things that are horrific," Trump said about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the country's announcement about a possible missile strike near Guam. "And with me, he's not getting away with it... it's a whole new ballgame."

"I read about we're in Guam by Aug. 15. Let's see what he does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody's seen before, what will happen in North Korea," said Trump. "You'll see, and he'll see. It's not a dare, it's a statement."

Trump threatened North Korea on Tuesday with "fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen," should they threaten the US again. Within hours, North Korea did just that, announcing its intentions to plot a missile test that would land near Guam, the US territory in the Pacific where the Air Force and Navy have a base.

So far, the president has not made good on his threat.

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Trump later explained how he finds nuclear weapons to be the number one threat to the world.

"I would like to 'de-nuke' the world," said Trump. "I would like Russia, the United States and China and Pakistan and many other countries that have nuclear weapons get rid of them. But until such time that they do, we will be the most powerful nuclear nation on earth, by far."

b-1b lancer guam

US Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Jacob Skovo

A US Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, sit at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam before it conducts a sequenced bilateral mission with South Korean F-15 and Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-2 fighter jets, July 7.

Trump has sole authority over the US's nuclear arsenal and could unilaterally decide to launch a nuclear attack on North Korea should he decide to.

Experts contacted by Business Insider maintain that the North Korean statement announcing intentions to fire missiles at Guam was full of conditional statements and possibly a bluff.

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However, Trump has recently taken to threatening North Korea not over actions, but if they merely say it will attack the US.