North Korea is the demon here, not Trump or China: Guam Lt. Gov.

North Korea has threatened a missile strike against the U.S. territory of Guam as tensions continue to mount, even suggesting a mid-August timeline.  Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio (R-Guam) told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo of Mornings with Maria, that though they have not been in direct contact with President Trump about the threat, “We are in communication with the Department of Defense, through the Joint Region Marianas, we’re in contact with the military leaders here, Admiral Chatfield of the U.S. Navy and of course are corresponding with our civil defense and Homeland Security.”

When asked about China’s role in the situation, Tenorio responded, “Really the demon here is not the president or China. In this case, it’s Kim Jong-un and the North Korean regime.”

Though it’s not the first time the island or its neighbors in Asia have dealt with threats from North Korea, Tenorio is confident in the defense systems that have been put in place.

“We’ve been receiving these kind of threats as many people have, many of our neighbors in Asia have been on the receiving end of the threats. But we know that the multiple layers of defense that protect our island, along with the rest of our partners and our allies in the region, we have confidence in them.”

But Tenorio was hopeful diplomacy and sanctions would be effective, so those layers of defense would not be necessary.

“This is an attempt on North Korea’s part to ratchet things up, but I think the diplomatic channels that President Trump talked about are the ones that we’re hoping, along with sanctions, that will work and not a war.”

Despite the threats, the Lt. Governor said the people of Guam feel safe.

“The people of Guam know that they’re protected, they know that they’re safe. There are threats but again, we’ve faced these threats before.”