Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona blamed former Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama for nuclear threats from North Korea.

Speaking on the KTAR News show “Mac & Gaydos,” Franks said that President Donald Trump’s remarks that North Korea will be met with “fire and fury” was a sign of change from Democratic presidents.

“We had 11 missile tests under Barack Obama with four nuclear tests. Under Bill Clinton, they negotiated the ‘Agreed Framework,’ they called it, and it was the most gutless, fuzzy, non-specific, non-agreement really that you can imagine,” he said. 

Franks said he didn’t know the intent of Trump’s words, but said it could be a good deterrent against North Korea.

“Maybe (Trump) doesn’t speak diplomat, but I think the North Koreans understand that there’s no advantage for them to attack this country with the nuclear capability now because there won’t be enough left of their country for a dog to find if they do attack us,” Franks said. 

Franks said he is pushing legislation for a space-based missile defense system.

“We have to make our enemies know that there is no gain, that there’s no plus, that there’s no upside in attacking the United States of America and a space-based missile defense capability would be a critical component to that equation,” he said.

The president’s remarks came in light of a report from the Washington Post that North Korea was capable of a nuclear strike against the United States.