U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Sunday that the United States wanted to avoid nuclear war with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
"The president doesn't want to be in a nuclear war, and we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn't occur," said Mnuchin in an interview with ABC News.
"I can assure you the president's number one priority is the safety of the American people and our allies," he added.
Mnuchin was the latest U.S. top official to offer reassurance after U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up tension with the DPRK with threats.
Trump on Tuesday threatened in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country if forced to defend itself or its allies.
After the threat, the DPRK said it might test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile on Sunday, a new poll found that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose a preemptive strike on the DPRK and most Americans trust U.S. military leaders instead of U.S. President Donald Trump to handle the nuclear crisis responsibly.
According to the Washington Post-ABC News poll, 67 percent of Americans believe that the United States should launch a military strike on the DPRK only if the country first attacks the United States or its allies.
As to their confidence in Trump on solving the DPRK nuclear issue, 37 percent of Americans trust Trump either "a great deal" or "a good amount" to handle the issue in a responsible way, with 42 percent saying that they trust Trump "not at all."
In comparison, 72 percent of Americans trust U.S. military leaders on the DPRK issue, including 43 percent saying that they trust them "a great deal."
