Trump mocks Kim Jong-Un's threat; boasts of 'much bigger and powerful nuclear button than food-starved regime'

In a morning tweet, Trump said the US-led campaign of sanctions and other pressure were beginning to have a "big impact" on North Korea.

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and boasted that the US has a nuclear button which apparently "is much bigger and powerful" than what North Korea claims to have.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

Trump's statement comes after Jong-Un's New Year message. "The entire United States is within range of our nuclear weapons, and a nuclear button is always on my desk. This is the reality, not a threat," Jong-Un had said.

Also Read: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un takes a dig at US, but is warming up to South Korea; could 2018 bring a truce?

Earlier, South Korea had offered a proposal of high-level talks with Pyongyang on January 9, to which North Korea did not respond. However, the proposal of talks between the North and South Korea has been dismissed by Nikki Haley, the US envoy to United Nations, after the US warned that Washington would never accept a nuclear-armed Pyongyang.

Haley said, "We won't take any of the talks seriously if they don't do something to ban all nuclear weapons in North Korea."

Meanwhile, Trump slammed his North Korean counterpart and said, "Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not — we will see!"