World War 3 WARNING: ‘Trump could kill us all’ over North Korea nuclear crisis

North Korea vs USAGETTY

North Korea and the USA could go to war

The US President sent a warning shot to “madman” on Friday as he threatened will “be tested like never before”.

It comes as tensions are at an all-time high between the hermit kingdom and US amid fears an all-out war could be just days away.

And Alex Wellerstein, a historian of nuclear weapons, warned the scathing comments from Mr Trump are simply encouraging Pyongyang to up its threats.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, he condemned both and Kim Jong-un for acting like belligerent children fighting in the playground, suggesting each will try to outdo the other.

But Mr Wellerstein warned the two leaders could kill millions of people if nuclear weapons are launched. 

Donald Trump and Kim Jong UnREUTERS

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are behaving like children, Alex Wellerstein said

Donald TrumpEPA

Donald Trump continues to threaten North Korea

And while he added that World War 3 may not be wholly likely, Mr Trump’s failure to back down from his aggressive rhetoric could see Pyongyang simply increase its nuclear weapons testing as it deems the USA to remain a significant threat.

Mr Wellerstein warned Mr Trump’s comments could result in North Korea retaliating without the US President even having to press the big red button.

He said: “I think everything he says makes it worse. When you have a lot of money, people tend to do what you say.

“If you look at every day people, they don’t tend to act belligerent towards a belligerent person – they know it only exacerbates the situation.

“But if you look at Donald Trump, that is what he is doing.

I think everything Trump says makes it worse. When you have a lot of money, people tend to do what you say.

Alex Wellerstein


“We have all these ideas that attacking would stop the threat and we would liberate North Koreans – where’s the certainty they even want liberating?

“But I think even if you imagine a really good world coming out of this, would it be worth the cost?

“I know it wouldn’t be worth it – thousands or millions of people would die and it would have been totally preventable. Come on, that can’t be worth it.”

Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on September 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a programme aimed at enabling it to target the US with a nuclear-tipped missile.

But Mr Wellerstein believes the weapons programme has only been accelerated as North Korea believes its safety could be at risk.

Kim Jong UnREUTERS

Kim Jong Un has ramped up his nuclear program

US MilitaryEPA

US Military could attack Pyongyang

And he suggested once the rogue nation feels “comfortable” with its level of nuclear weapons, and does not feel the need to launch missiles or detonate bombs as a “PR stunt” to show off its arsenal, the threats on the USA will subside.

Mr Wellerstein said: “I feel you cannot control what Kim Jong Un does, you can’t get inside his head and in fact very little is known about him at all.

“So far everything that Trump has been putting out reinforces their fears in North Korea, and reinforces that what they’re doing is the right thing.

“It only encourages more tests and more threats.”

His comments come after Mr Trump gave a hardline speech in the United Nations this week, warning he could “totally destroy” North Korea if threatened.

Mr Wellerstein said: “North Korea has said the thing that would trigger them is if we tried to kill Kim Jong-un. And I sort of believe them – because that is not an unreasonable reaction if someone tries to kill the President.

North Korea v USAGETTY

North Korea v USA: World War 3 could be just days away

“The US nuclear weapons outweigh them a million times over – but they can make us hurt.

“They know they cannot kill the US or the UK, they don’t have the capability, but they can cause massive devastation. And they know we don’t want that to happen – in fact they’re banking on that.”

And today, Kim Jong-un threatened to test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean as part of its ongoing military programme. 

With his new 150 kiloton hydrogen bomb, the tyrannical regime could cause mass devastation in the US with new nuclear missile tests suggesting mainland America is now in Pyongyang’s reach.

Despot Kim also lashed out at Mr Trump calling him ”mentally deranged”, adding the US President’s comments were ”the most ferocious declaration of a war in history”.

Kim said said in a statement: “I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue.”