Karl asked Sanders how he would respond as president to the apparent launch of unidentified short-range missiles by North Korea into the Sea of Japan Friday night, the first missile launch or any kind by the country since November 2017, when it last launched a long-range missile.

“You know, this is one area, actually, where I do not fault Trump. I think the idea of sitting down with Kim Jong Un is the right thing to do. It is very, very difficult, but clearly they are a threat to the planet,” Sanders said. “They are isolated. They’re demagogic, and we have just got to do everything we can to have China and the people in the Pacific Rim put as much pressure on North Korea and make it clear that they cannot continue to act this way.

“It is not an easy situation,” he added.