Trump handled North Korea situation correctly, Rep. McCarthy says

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Sunday that despite skepticism from many over President Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean President Kim Jong Un, Trump has handled the situation correctly.

“There are risks, but there are greater risks not to have them [talks with Kim] … Time is of the essence, but I think what has happened, the number of sanctions that we have passed in the House, the pressure that the president has put on. He moved two aircraft carriers off over there. That is having an effect,” McCarthy, R-Calif., told Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.”

The White House said last Thursday Trump accepted the invitation to meet with Kim, following an announcement that night from a senior South Korean official, who spoke at the White House and said the meeting could be held by May.

Vice President Pence said in a statement last Friday that all sanctions will remain in place and “maximum pressure” will continue to be applied on North Korea. Meanwhile, Trump said in a tweet on Saturday that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the meeting with Kim.

“President XI told me he appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative. China continues to be helpful!” Trump wrote.

He tweeted earlier that the meeting time and place is to be determined.

“The president is very clear, he’s kept all options on the table. He cannot allow, from the perspective of Kim Jong Un, to have a nuclear weapon that could hit the United States or to … sell that anywhere across the world,” McCarthy said, adding that he believes the U.S. must continue to pressure China as well.