Trump calls off N. Korea summit: What they’re saying in Colorado

President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled his planned summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling the cancellation a “tremendous setback” for peace and stressing that the U.S. military was ready to respond to any “foolish or reckless acts” by the North.

Here’s reaction to the move from Colorado leaders:

Cory Gardner, U.S. senator:

President Trump has made the right decision to cancel the summit with Kim Jong Un until North Korea is ready to act in good faith to fully denuclearize. We must double down on our strategy of maximum pressure and engagement. It’s time to pass my bipartisan legislation, the LEED Act, because it will increase the pressure on Kim Jong Un by implementing a full economic embargo and targeting his regime’s enablers. Our goal of any discussions with North Korea should remain the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Michael Bennet, U.S. senator:

North Korea’s nuclear program continues to pose a grave threat to the international community and to our allies and servicemembers in the region. It is not surprising that North Korea derailed these negotiations. Instead of emotional, outburst-driven ‘diplomacy,’ the President must do the hard work to develop a comprehensive strategy in coordination with our partners.

Mike Coffman, U.S. representative, 6th District:

I could care less about the rhetoric between North Korea and the United States. What is important is that North Korea has a different definition of what denuclearization means. For the North Koreans, it is suspending their nuclear weapons program and for the United States, its completely dismantling their program. Until the North Koreans can agree to completely dismantle their nuclear weapons program, we need to continue to ratchet up the economic sanctions until we can arrive at an agreement to bring peace to the Korean peninsula.

> RELATED: Gardner: Trump’s letter to Kim canceling summit was dictated to Bolton

People watch a TV screen showing file footage of President Donald Trump, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Ahn Young-joon

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