Business Insider (2016): DONALD TRUMP: Here's how I'd handle that 'madman' in North Korea

[TomCADem]

You know how the North Korea situation has gotten worse with tensions escalating, not only with North Korea, but both China and South Korea? Well, wouldn't you know it, if you listed to Fox and Friends back in early 2016, you would have known that this was Trump's plan all along. Indeed, at the end of the article, Trump even telegraphs how he would end the ear of strategic patience under prior administrations, and would try to close North Korea's program down. So, how is the master plan working out?

In fairness, Trump was not the only Republican candidate promising to ratchet up tensions with North Korea.

http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-north-korea-china-nuclear-2016-1?r=US&IR=T&IR=T

"China has … total control over North Korea," Trump said. "And China should solve that problem. And if they don't solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China.

"We are holding China up," he added. "They're taking so much money. They're draining our country, and they're toying with us with North Korea. China should do it. They say they can't, they 'don't have that power.' They're toying with our politicians, who don't know what they're doing."

Trump said he would also lean on the US' economic ties and military alliance with South Korea. He lamented that in his view the US got "nothing" despite placing thousands of troops in South Korea. "I'd get South Korea — that's making a fortune, they're our trading partner, if you want to use the word 'partner,'" Trump said.

He continued: "We get almost nothing for what we do. We defend the world. We defend so many countries. We get nothing. They get everything. We get nothing. South Korea's going to have to start ponying up, OK? And we'll do it in a very nice manner. They'll like us even more than they like us now."