Poll: Two-thirds say Trump comments making North Korean situation worse

A majority of Americans polled said they believe President Trump’s intensified rhetoric on North Korea has made relations between Washington and Pyongyang worse, according to a new Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. 

Sixty-five percent of Americans polled said Trump’s recent comments regarding North Korea and its nuclear weapons program have made relations between the two nations worse. 

{mosads}Forty-five percent of those polled said the comments had made relations much worse, while only 8 percent of those polled said he was improving the situation. 

The poll was conducted after the president ripped North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the floor of the United Nations in September, dubbing him as “Rocket Man.”

The president also threatened to “destroy” North Korea during the address.

“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,” Trump said.

The president has also suggested in recent weeks on Twitter that he believes military action on the Korean peninsula is the only solution, hitting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for pursing talks with his counterparts in Pyongyang. 

The AP/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll was conducted on Sept. 28-Oct. 2 among a sample taken from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.