Credit Trump's tough talk for China's stance on North Korea?

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Credit Trump's tough talk for China's stance on North Korea?

Trump: China told its banks to stop doing business with North Korea

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President Trump: China Told Its Banks to Stop Doing Business with North Korea

Charles Payne: I think everyone is. Listen— it's tough, dangerous times and we need a straight shooter; no more of that sort of diplomatic talk and pass each other stuff at the U.N. that never has gotten anything resolved. The bottom line here is I think it was refreshing, I think the world said it was refreshing. The next day you heard—whether it was China, Japan—almost every world leader said they appreciated what President Trump had to say. They probably were relieved that some president actually got up there and had the nerve to say it. And who didn't like it? Iran didn't like it, North Korea didn't like it and the New York Times didn't like it–that all tells me it must have been pretty good.

Ben Stein: I question whether it's true, frankly. I don't know if I trust the Chinese. And I think the people who are not on board are the Russians and there's a lot of stuff flying around about how it's the Russians who are giving the North Koreans the rocket engines to help get themselves into a position to attack the United States. So I would like to see Mr. Trump really work on the Russians if he can. But I just have the feeling that North Korea is a catchall for Mr. Putin in this whole event and this is Mr. Putin's way of extending the new Cold War and it scares me a lot.

Gerri Willis: Well, they may, but I don't really think they're reacting to Trump here—I think they're reacting to North Korea. Trump is throwing words and no matter how upset the left gets, he's not dropping missiles—that's what North Korea's doing. In the last 12 weeks, 5 missiles over Japan's territories. So that's what these folks are responding to, and they should be because this is aggression.

Charlie Gasparino: What did Steve Bannon say right before? It might have been the reason why he got fired—when he gave that interview to American Prospect where he said something very interesting. He said if we engage militarily with North Korea, it's almost game set match for South Korea. They're gonna destroy with conventional weapons, forget about nuclear weapons. What Steve Bannon said was if you're gonna sit there and really threaten them with force, prepare for something really, really bad to happen. I will say this—I like what Donald Trump said. I have no problem with him belittling that creepy, little dictator in North Korea. But if you start drawing lines in the sand—this guy surpassed every line he drew in the sand. So now he calls him out and says we're gonna destroy you, right? He's now threatening a hydrogen bomb in the middle of the ocean. What are you gonna do then when he does that? Are you gonna say we're gonna destroy you again?

Adam Lashinsky: I think Donald Trump crossed a very serious line which is—and I've said this before—the United States president does not make undignified comments in front of the entire world. There's no point in lowering himself. Calling somebody names is juvenile and isn't helpful to anything. "Rocket man" is meant to be belittling and as you brought up, Neil, if this guy's response is to set off an atmospheric hydrogen test, I don't think it would have been a very good idea to provoke him that way.

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Adam Lashinsky: We live in a great country where dissent is encouraged, it's part of our process. There's disarray on the left, there's disarray on the right—if anything I think that this is a really positive statement for the Democrats. From their perspective, she's negotiating with that horrible man and my point is she's attempting to govern, as is Chuck Schumer, as are a lot of people in the Republican party and that's a good thing.

Ben Stein: It's a great thing that we have a free country, that it's a terrible thing that people are shouted down at rallies, they're shouted down at town meetings and county meetings and town halls. It's a terrible thing that the left wingers and the antifa and these horrible, creepy people in San Francisco are shouting down Nancy Pelosi. It's a horrible, anti-democratic, anti-free speech thing.

Charlie Gasparino: I think it's a great thing that the left is starting to eat its own and it's like a dog returning to its own vomit. The left has been terrorizing conservatives on campuses, instilling this bizarre style and this P.C. culture that's now extending to the fact that even if you're a moderate liberal you get attacked by the antifa and all these creepy left-wingers and I think it's good cause now they're getting a taste of their own medicine.

Charles Payne: What people don't want to admit is that under President Obama the Democrats were decimated on a state and city-wide level. They were decimated, they were hollowed out. There was a message sent to that party the American Public that Time magazine on the current cover admits this is the most trouble they've been in since 1929. They could go the way of the Wigs, they can talk about this all they want, but the bottom line right now—the Democrats are in tremendous trouble and I disagree with Adam. I think the fact that they're sticking with the Schumer's and the Pelosi's of the world will make their demise more quick rather than slower.

Gerri Willis: It's been conventional wisdom that the Republican Party can't get its act together, but it's no surprise that the Democrats have troubles too. They did not win the election. Why? Not everybody was on board. And now, I think the President does the smart thing by going out and carving out a few people here and a few people there—it's his only option to bring people together on the things that really matter like tax reform.

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Ben Stein: Leverage buyouts are trying to get something for nothing. They're piling on a lot of debt under a slender mountain of income. They don't always work, it's a very risky game. The only people who come out of it always on top of it are the investment bankers—it's something to be aware of.

Charles Payne: There's no doubt they got stuck in the same sort of attitude that a lot of big companies have. That's why they got bit by the thing called creative destruction. If you don't look ahead, if you don't forward think, no matter how large you are as a corporation you will be brought down. And they should have seen the internet and other things and really been ahead of the curve.

Charlie Gasparino: Well, it's occurring before our eyes with television unfortunately. We're being disintermediated by the internet, too. There's a centrifugal force here that is beyond control of a lot of companies.

Gerri Willis: At the end of the day, if you're a capitalist you've gotta be ready to rumble and go with the times and find the new thing to do. I think these guys were just asleep at the wheel.