Can happen. What would be a bad solution . I think you know the answer to that. When you say bad solution, are you talking about war . Is the u. S. Going to war . I think you know the answer to that. The president wouldnt answer question on possible regime change in pyongyang. He did say he is considering additional very strong check sanctions and he boasted that kim jongun hasnt been saying much for the past three days. He also issued this warning on guam. If anything happens to guam, there will be big, big trouble in north korea. It follows a day of tough talk. This morning, he tweeted military solutions are now fully in place. Locked and loaded should north korea act unwisely. Hopefully kim jongun will find another path. The president was asked to explain that threat later in the day. What do you mean by military solutions or sxlolocked and loa as it relates to north korea from is. I think it is pretty obvious. We are looking at it very carefully and i home they will fully understand the gravity of what i said. What i said is what i mean. So hopefully theyll understand, peter, exactly what i said and the meaning of those words. Those words are very, very easy to understand. This man will not get away with what he is doing. Believe me. If he utters one threat in the form of an overt threat, which he has been uttering for years and his family has been uttering for years, or if he does anything with respect to guam or any place else that is an american territory or an american ally, he will truly regret it. And he will regret it fast. President trump has been ratcheting up the warnings against kim jongun all week. On tuesday he said any more threats from north korea would be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He followed up yesterday with a series of vague threats. Today he was asked to respond to critics who say his rhetoric is only making things worse sflflt my critics are only saying that because its me. If somebody else uttered the exact same words that i uttered, they would say, what a wonderful statement. Theyre i will tell you, we have tens of millions of people in this country that are so happy with what im saying. Because theyre saying, finally we have a president that is sticking up for our nation. And frankly, sticking up for our friends and allies. Im joined by Kelly Odonnell with the president , the Washington Post columnist and republican strategist Steve Schmidt. A moment ago, the president was asked, we just played it. Is the president going to go to war with north korea . And his response was, you know the answer to that. I dont know the answer to that. What was he saying . Does anyone on the staff know the answer to that . Does north korea know the answer to that . I felt the same frustration. Reporters over the last few days have put a question like that to the president. And he has given back that response in some form, where he believes it is obvious order doesnt want to verbalize it more specifically. But clearly, as journalists and representing the public, there are questions. It is unclear. And we have asked him if he has made any attempt to adjust readiness for the military. Hes declined to talk about that as commanderinchief. He has long said he doesnt want to preview or forecast his moves. Thats understandable. We dont know if he would put forth a rationale to the American People about where things stand in terms of any military, and or diplomatic response to north korea at this point beyond these suddenly frequent opportunities for the president to engage with a small number of reporters. This is just a small group of members of the White House Press pool. One television, one radio, wires and one newspaper. So it is a very small group who have been with the president over the last couple days. It is a rotating group. And they have been ready with lots of questions. So weve been able to draw the president out on a lot of topics. Hes been willing to engage. Yet theres some unsatisfying aspects to this because he seems to be floating this strong tough guy image that the president likes to project on behalf of the country. At the same time, a bit of mystery. What does this mean toward north korea . And then being, he certainly within his purview to be very limited in what he wants to say about specifying military things. It does lead people into questions and he says he would protect the people of guam. He is talking but it is continually unclear what exactly he is trying to say. If he utters one threat in the form of an overt threat, which he has been uttering for years and his family has been uttering for years, if he does anything with respect to guam or any place else thats an american territory or an american ally, he will truly regret it. And he will regret it fast. Hes talking about overt threats. I dont know what he means by overt threats. He is talking about locked and loaded. He is saying it is pretty obvious what he means by sxlokd loaded. I dont think it is obvious what he means by that. Can you clarify any of that for me . I cant. It is certainly a departure from teddy roosevelt, walk softly and carry a big stick. The last three administrations have pursued almost every conceivable option. The north koreans ability to miniaturize a nuclear weapon, put on it top of an intercontinental ballistic missile. It is a real existential threat to the country. Im not sure the president is making things better. What history teaches us, is that every leader believes they can control events. But most leaders he are controlled by events. And when leaders are controlled by events, and they begin to lose control of the trajectory of them, and those events spiral, leaders miscalculate. They misjudge adversaries. Right at this point in history where the last of the survivors of the death camps, the last of the men who landed on the normandy beaches are coming to the end of their very long lives, it seems to me were losing that human memory, that capacity to imagine what a tragedy on a global scale could look like. How bad it can be. I think we have a lack of imagination in this country. Weve been at war for 17 years. More americans would be killed in the first five minutes of the second korean war than have lost their lives in the totality of these wars in iraq and afghanistan. The last korean war, a million and a half koreans died. And korea is one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, south korea is the sixth largest economy and this would be the first war fought by a major power in the interconnected Global Economy in the internet age where Global Markets move in unison and tandem. And what could happen here, the danger of a miscalculation caused by this bluster and his serial unpreparedness for these issues, and his previous loose talk about nuclear weapons, very, very disconcerting. I think you see that playing out with the statements made by any one of a number of different leaders from the south koreans who didnt name the president but were referring to him, to the jerel an its chance lore as well. Those who dont learn from history are doomed repeat it. Eugene, he is will saying, theyre going to be met with fire and fury. My question to you was, is that kind of language vetted . Today we saw him standing alongside his secretary of state. He was alongside nikki haley. Are they approving this rhetoric . I cant imagine that they are. I cant imagine that threatening it is wise to hear a u. S. President speaking like this. I get President Trump probably thinks it is clever to speak to kim jongun in the kind of language that he uses but it is not. It is not clever. It runs the risk, as Steve Schmidt said, of a misstep, a miscalculation. Blunders sometimes pile on top of blunders, and lead to conflict. And conflict between two states with nuclear weapons, which is what the United States and north korea are, is really unthinkable. It cannot happen. And i think Rex Tillerson understands that. I think nikki haley understands that. Im pretty sure the generals understand what the implications of such a conflict would be. And so given the loose cannon president who keeps mouthing off in this way, we have to hope that the generals and the diplomats are communicating in more measured tones. The president brought up the possibility of a military option in venezuela. Lets listen to that. We have many options for venezuela. By the way, im not going to rule out a military option. We have many options for venezuela. This is our neighbor. Were all over the world and we have troops all over the world and places that are very, very far away. Venezuela is not very far away. And the people are suffering. And theyre dying. We have many options for venezuela including a possible military option if necessary. Kelly odonnell, where did this come from . This is a man who campaigned on america first. He said america would not be the worlds policeman. Now he is saying he wont rule out a military option in venezuela. I think in a broader context, im struck by, over these comments today, yesterday, earlier this week, that notion of the president being either taken literally or seriously. We had talked about that during the campaign season. Now it is in a much more serious context. There seems to be, even with the acknowledgement of some aides, the president projecting a unique power that goes with the office that he holds after a time when he has been frustrated by the inability to exert power over congress. But as the commander in chief, as the leader of a powerful United States and a world fraught with trouble spots, he seems most comfortable trying to project this strength and he will do it in ways that are not exact. That are colorful, sometimes to the extreme, that suggest a notion more than speaking in the careful language of diplomacy. And it seems weve this, introducing the notion of venezuela, he also spoke about being concerned that iran was not living up to the spirit of nuclear deal. He touched on a lot of topic areas when prompted by questions. He seems to be finding this comfort zone where the unique office that he holds, and even with the argument about how much power should be concentrated without consulting congress, it seems the president feels he has to exert this image. And he has dominated the headlines over recent days. He has controlled the headlines in a way that he has not been able to do in broader political terms for weeks. And not to suggest theres a political motive alone, because he bears a responsibility as commander in chief. In terms of getting his own traction for how he projects himself, it seems at the moment, using the strong man language, a threatening tone with a bit of reassurance occasionally, seems to be a place where hes comfortable. Is this just a psychological tick that he has . Is this the president needing to appear as the strongest person in the room . Needing to appear as the person who would hit back the hardest . Someone who wants to envision himself that way. So he is acting that way to convince everybody around him. Weve all heard donald trump talk about his love of being a koirnlt puncher. And i think it is clearly true that humiliation as a political tactic has worked for him against adversaries, business adversaries. But he seems fully unaware of the asian conception of face. So his bluster could be interim retd as humiliating toward kim jongun. And could it corner him. And we know less about north korea than nearly every country on earth. We dont even know for sure when kim jongun was born. We know very little about the command and control of this closed society. Everybody is focused on what fire means in english or locked and loaded. Im more interested in the interpretation what locked and loaded is in korean and how is that received in the ears of a 32yearold tyrant that we know very little about, who runs a country with an iron hand in absolute control. And that is how misjudgments and miscalculations happen. Go ahead. Thats why you have diplomats. Thats why you have intelligence agencies. Which donald trump doesnt trust and he thinks theyre part of deep state. Venezuela, military options in venezuela to do what . It is an absurd sort of out of the blue idea that cant possibly have any substance. And when you hear things that cannot possibly have any sub its stand coming out of the mouth of the president about military action and theres no substance there. How is the world to take that . How is the world to react . This sort of vacuum of american credibility will have serious consequences. He is his own adviser which is what he said often. If you havent already, take a look at the New York Times article profiling kim jongun describing his rise to power, describing his goals and ames. He murdered his uncle. Who helped him regain power, helped him keep power. This is what they say. Because he wasnt clapping enthusiastically enough for him when he took stage. Thank you, Kelly Odonnell, Eugene Robinson and steve smith. What does north korea hear when they hear sxlokd loaded . What about china and russia . What options beyond tough talk we really have. Plus the russia investigation. Prosecutors are zeroing in on trumps former Campaign Manager but they may be rattling the white house. What is behind trumps bizarre fight with senator Mitch Mcconnell, someone he needs on his side, if he hopes to get anything done . Finally the conspiratorial memo that argued the socalled deep state is working the subvert the president because he represents an existential threat to cultural marxist memes and bankers. It actually made it to the president s desk. This is hardball where the action is. s ok that everybody ignores me when i drive. Its fine. Because i get a safe driving bonus check every six months im accident free. Because i dont use my cellphone when im driving. Even though my family does, and leaves me all alone. Heres something else. I dont share it with mom. I dont. Right, mom . I have a brand new putter you dont even know about its awesome. Safe driving bonus checks, only from allstate. Sometimes i leave the seat up on purpose. Switching to allstate is worth it. Tand the alzheimersf association is going to make it happen. But we wont get there without you. Visit alz. Org to join the fight. Dozen of Congressional Democrats are urging secretary of state Rex Tillerson to rein in President Trumps rhetoric on north korea. More than 60 House Democrats have written tillerson a letter expressing profound concern over the recent statements made by trump saying they have, quote, raised the specter of nuclear war. It goes on to say, we respectfully but firmly urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that President Trump and other Administration Officials understand the importance of speaking and acting with the utmost caution and restraint on this delicate issue. Looking for balance in your digestive system . Try align probiotic. For a nonstop, sweet treat goodness, hold on to your tiara kind of day. Get 24 7 digestive support, with align. The 1 doctor recommended probiotic brand. Also in kids chewables. Atmore than one flavor, oruch texture, or color. Ing. A good clean salad is so much more than green. And with panera catering, more for your event. Panera. Food as it should be. For years, centurylink has been promising fast internet to small businesses. But for many businesses, its out of reach. Why promise something you cant deliver . Comcast business is different. We deliver superfast internet with speeds of 250 megabits per second across our entire network, to more companies, in more locations, than centurylink. We do business where you do business. I support peace, i support safety and i support having to get very tough if we have to to frequent American People and our allies. Welcome back to hardball. That was President Trump earlier tonight. Its been decades since americans ran dunk is that cover drills. But the specter of Nuclear Cover has returned with the latest warning that the United States military is locked and loaded. With many u. S. Officials pushing a diplomatic solution, President Trump has a number of military options at the ready. Something he hinted at yesterday. Lets watch. We are looking at what happened in asia. I dont like to signal what ill be doing but we are certainly looking at it. And obviously, were spending a lot of time looking at in particular, north korea. And we are preparing for many different alternative events. And one of which warned that it wouldnt end well. The u. S. Would win but it would be ugly. For now, im joined by bill nelson, a Senior Member of the Armed Services committee and jeanine davidson, former secretary of the navy and the president of the metropolitan State University of denver. First to you. How disastrous would a military option be . It depends on the scenario. Lets say the United States military and the south Korean Military have robust military war plans. Theyve been practicing these for decades. They could nnstantly update the will. Just about every scenario it is bloody and devastating. The north loses dramatically but in every scenario that does not come without a cost. Especially to the people of seoul. Remember there are some 25 Million People living in the greater seoul metropolitan area. We have 28,000 troops stationed on the korean peninsula. Another 40,000 in japan. In a robust military scenario, there would be a lot of blood shed. Senator, the pentagon has told us that they havent changed anything at this moment. They are as ready as they have ever been. The president is saying, locked and loaded. Do you have any idea what exactly he means . Well, it is the job of the Defense Department to be ready. So admiral harris, the specific commander and in this case, would be the combatant commander, also, general raymond, the head of special forces. They have pla