On Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, despite being considered a voice of restraint and diplomacy in the Trump administration, refused to rule out a military strike against the North Korean government. Tillerson said, "We have to recognize that the threat is growing, and if North Korea does not choose the pathway of engagement, discussion, negotiation, then they themselves will trigger an option." When directly asked about reports from US officials that the National Security Council was weighing the option of a small strike on North Korea, described as a "bloody nose" attack, Tillerson refused to rule it out.