Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard slams Trump after false ballistic missile warning: 'He's not taking this threat seriously'

by Gabby Morrongiello | Jan 13, 2018, 2:14 PM | Updated Jan 13, 2018, 2:37 PM

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, slammed President Trump on Saturday for “taking too long” to quell escalating tensions with North Korea, minutes after a false ballistic missile warning was sent to residents of her home state.

Gabbard said her constituents “live with the reality of this message popping up on their phones” at any moment because of the rising conflict between the U.S. and Pyongyang.

“Donald Trump is taking too long,” she told CNN. “He's not taking this threat seriously. There's no time to waste.”

Gabbard, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, added that is an urgent need for easily accessable nuclear shelters.

"We've got to get rid of this threat from North Korea. We've got to achieve peace, not play politics. Because this is literally life and death that is at stake, for the people of Hawaii and the people of this country," Gabbard later told MSNBC.

Hawaii residents woke up Saturday morning to a message on their mobile phones and televisions warning of an “inbound” ballistic missile threat.

“Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill,” read the emergency alert.
Within minutes, Gabbard sent out a tweet to say officials confirmed to her that there was no missile threat.

U.S. Pacific Command later confirmed that the warning was sent in error. It was not immediately clear how the alert was approved.