Bolton: NKorea 'Unquestionably' Sees More Threat Under Trump

A meeting between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nations that fought on the United States' side during the Korean War in Vancouver Tuesday marks a good opportunity to keep Canada and other allies informed, but North Korea "unquestionably" appreciates the differences between President Donald Trump and President Barack Obama, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton said.

"I think it's important obviously given Canada's geographic location as well as the integrated North American air defense command," Bolton told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."

"Obviously on the day that North Korea gets the ability to hit targets in the United States, they will be able to hit targets in Canada as well."

North Korea, though, does appreciate that the possibility of military force is "a much more real threat," under Trump, said Bolton, but he doesn't think that's the reason North and South Korea are in talks over the upcoming Winter Olympics.

"I believe this entire Olympic ploy is nothing but propaganda," said Bolton. "I don't think anything serious will come of it. I think they're taking advantage of South Korea's desire not to have the Olympics spoiled, as they were to an extent in 1988."

The question hit close to home for the United States on Saturday, when a false alarm about an incoming missile strike panicked people in Hawaii, an issue Bolton called a "ridiculously unexplainable mistake."

"The government needs to look into it because of the damage that was done to the people in Hawaii by this accident," said Bolton. "Just to make one thing clear, just because some guy pressed the wrong computer button in Hawaii for the alert notice, it has nothing to do with the defense department's command and control communications over the nuclear arsenal itself."

Meanwhile, Bolton said he does not think the military's budget has gone up enough to meet its needs.

"I don't think Americans fully appreciate how dramatic were the cuts under the Obama administration," said Bolton. "Obama's budgets in the aggregate for his eight years in office were perhaps $1.5 trillion below what would have been the budgets under the projections from the end of the Bush administration."

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