Trump had a confusing response when Howard Stern asked him about North Korea in 2006
Donald Trump's  take on North Korea during a decade-old interview with "shock jock" Howard Stern could offer a window into the president's thinking as he deals with the regime now.
"This is the final question " Stern said toward the end of a 2006 episode of "The Howard Stern Show" in which  Trump  appeared. "Are you ready? You are the president of the United States. What do we do about North Korea?"
"I would be so tough  you have no idea  " Trump  replied.
When Stern asked  Trump  to elaborate   Trump  said  "You have no idea how tough I'd be."
"You would â" Stern began  before  Trump  interjected with "Embargoes?"
"Embargoes?" Stern repeated  presumably seeking to clarify  Trump 's statement.
"Well  I think I'd go beyond embargoes  " Trump  said. "I would be so tough  but I wouldn't send [then-Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice in to negotiate."
Stern asked why  to which  Trump  replied  "I don't think  she 's tough enough. I mean  I don't think  she 's a tough person."
When Stern asked if Rice was  a "lightweight " Trump  said  he  thought  she  was "not tough enough to do a good job."
Eleven years later  North Korea is one of the  Trump  administration's most pressing threats  and  Trump  has responded to it with combative rhetoric.
In August  following reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency that North Korea could make nuclear warheads small enough to fit on missiles and could have as many as 60 nuclear devices   Trump  issued a sharp warning to the country.
North Korea "best not make any more threats to the United States" or it will "be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen "  Trump  said at the time  according to press pool reports.
 Trump  ramped up  his  rhetoric against North Korea when the United Nations General Assembly convened on September 23  saying that "rocket man" Kim Jong Un was on a "suicide mission " and that if he did not back down  the US would "have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
Kim responded by saying he would "surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire." North Korea's foreign minister also said that  Trump 's comments made the possibility of a missile attack on the US mainland "all the more inevitable."
Trump  diverging from the State Department on Sunday  tweeted  "I told Rex Tillerson  our wonderful Secretary of State  that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man " referring to Kim. "Save your energy Rex  we'll do what has to be done!"
[TGT] take on North Korea during a decade-old interview with "shock jock" Howard Stern could offer a window into the president's thinking as he deals with the regime now.
"This is the final question " Stern said toward the end of a 2006 episode of "The Howard Stern Show" in which   [TGT]   appeared. "Are you ready? You are the president of the United States. What do we do about North Korea?"
"I would be so tough  you have no idea  "  [TGT] replied.
When Stern asked   [TGT] to elaborate    [TGT] said  "You have no idea how tough I'd be."
"You would â" Stern began  before   [TGT] interjected with "Embargoes?"
"Embargoes?" Stern repeated  presumably seeking to clarify   [TGT]  's statement.
"Well  I think I'd go beyond embargoes  "  [TGT] said. "I would be so tough  but I wouldn't send [then-Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice in to negotiate."
Stern asked why  to which   [TGT] replied  "I don't think   [TGT]  's tough enough. I mean  I don't think   [TGT]  's a tough person."
When Stern asked if  [TGT] said   [TGT]   thought   [TGT]   was "not tough enough to do a good job."
Eleven years later  North Korea is one of the   [TGT]   administration's most pressing threats  and   [TGT] has responded to  [TGT]  with combative rhetoric.
In August  following reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency that North Korea could make nuclear warheads small enough to fit on missiles and could have as many as 60 nuclear devices    [TGT]   issued a sharp warning to the country.
North Korea "best not make any more threats to the United States" or it will "be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen  [TGT] said at the time  according to press pool reports.
  [TGT] ramped up   [TGT]   rhetoric against North Korea when the United Nations General Assembly convened on September 23  saying that "rocket man" Kim Jong Un was on a "suicide mission " and that if he did not back down  the US would "have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
Kim responded by saying he would "surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire." North Korea's foreign minister also said that   [TGT]  's comments made the possibility of a missile attack on the US mainland "all the more inevitable."
 [TGT] diverging from the State Department on Sunday  tweeted  "I told Rex Tillerson  our wonderful Secretary of State  that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man " referring to Kim. "Save your energy Rex  we'll do what has to be done!"