Washington, D.C. - 1 May 2017

1. Side, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walking into briefing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Well, (ABC Reporter) Jon (Karl), I guess because he is still a head of state. So, it is sort of. There is a diplomatic piece to this, but the bottom line is the president is going to do what he needs to do. Right now he is building a coalition to isolate North Korea both economically and diplomatically to get the threat, to take that threat down and so, that is his number one priority right now, protecting this country and our people."

3. SOUDNBITE (English) Jon Karl, ABC Reporter:

"What did he mean when he called him one smart cookie, or a pretty smart cookie?"

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have. He is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons. And so, that set aside, I think the president recognizes the threat that he poses and he is doing everything he can to isolate that threat and to make sure that we bring stability to the region."

5. Side, Spicer at podium

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The key part of the president's statement was under the right circumstances and that is the key and those circumstances do not exist now. This is consistent with what Secretary Tillerson said the other day. But I think that if North Korea continues down a degree of provocative behavior, then those circumstances will never be there."

7. Cutaway reporters

The White House says conditions aren't right for President Donald Trump to meet with Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite Trump's openness to the idea in the future.

Trump told Bloomberg he'd be open to a meeting under the right circumstances and said that, if appropriate, "I would be honored to do it."

During Monday's briefing White House spokesman Sean Spicer was asked to elaborate on why the president had described Kim Jong Un during the weekend interview as a "smart cookie."

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he is obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have," Spicer said.

Adding, "he is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons."

Tensions with North Korea have escalated recently as American and other intelligence agencies have suggested the country was readying a possible nuclear test.

The Trump administration has said all options, including a military strike, are on the table.