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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — The war of words between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, raised concerns on Friday that it could escalate into a new and more volatile phase as the White House weighed its next steps in response to a threat by Pyongyang to conduct the world’s first atmospheric nuclear test in 37 years. Mr. Trump derided Mr. Kim as a “madman” on Friday, hours after the North Korean called him a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard,” the sort of name-calling exchange most presidents have avoided. North Korea’s accompanying warning that it might test a nuclear bomb over the Pacific Ocean added fresh urgency to an administration debate over options for a pre-emptive strike if preparations for a launch are detected. Mr. Trump’s long-distance confrontation with “Rocket Man,” as he earlier dubbed Mr. Kim, defied diplomatic convention and took the penchant for reality-show insults that he perfected on the campaign trail to the international arena — only with potential real-world consequences. The president seemed to be gambling that the same style that put his domestic opponents on the defensive could work on the diplomatic front as well. But foreign policy veterans said the president was playing a dangerous game that at the very least complicates his own efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. “Personal insults make compromise more difficult,” said Kori Schake, a former national security aide t... Link to the full article to read more