Trump's North Korea rhetoric finds vindication

President Trump's hard line rhetoric on North Korea is working.

Following months of escalating tensions with the U.S., North Korean says it will wait before taking any further action against the U.S. territory.

Still, lamenting joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises that began Monday, North Korea warned that the U.S. was throwing "fuel onto the fire" and risking nuclear war. Such words cannot be considered pure rhetoric. Kim Jong Un's prospective irrationality demands constant U.S. preparation for all forms of war.

That said, the evidence suggests that Trump has at least temporarily altered Kim's calculations. Just a few weeks ago, the North Korean leader was firing off intercontinental ballistic missiles and threatening to destroy America. But now North Korea is focusing only threats of retaliation.

What changed?