Sen. said Tuesday that President Donald Trump will not allow "the nutjob" leader of North Korea to develop missiles that could threaten the United States.
The South Carolina Republican made his comments about Kim Jong Un on Twitter a day after having dinner with Trump.
In a Fox News interview earlier Tuesday, Graham said he preferred to curb North Korean aggression through diplomacy, "using China," Pyongyang's only major ally, to stop North Korea from trying to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. Graham said he sees military force as a "last resort."
"[Trump] doesn't want a war any more than I do, but he's not going to let them get a missile. That's where they're headed. And China needs to up their game to stop this before it gets too late," Graham told Fox.
Graham and Republican Sen. of Arizona, like Graham a noted foreign policy hawk, both attended the dinner with Trump. Graham's office did not immediately respond to a request to comment on what they specifically discussed. McCain's office declined to comment.
The United States, China, South Korea and Japan have aimed to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions, but without taking actions that could plunge the region into a conflict. Japan has sent two warships to join a U.S. aircraft carrier group that's headed toward Korean waters, which Trump sent as a warning to Pyongyang.
Ahead of a meeting Monday with the ambassadors from United Nations Security Council member countries,
"The status quo in North Korea is also unacceptable, and the council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs," he said.
Top administration national security officials plan to brief all 100 members of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday at the White House about the situation in North Korea. Secretary of State , Secretary of Defense , Director of National Intelligence and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will attend the rare White House briefing of the entire Senate, Reuters reported.