If China doesn't do what they should, then Trump is willing to solve the problem unilaterally and "totally." Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting this week at the Southern White House. Starting a war might also help Trump's sagging approval numbers.

On the campaign trail and since taking office, Trump has argued China is responsible for the continued nuclear proliferation in North Korea. He said in his Financial Times interview that he planned to talk with Xi about that situation and use trade as "the incentive" to talk China into fixing it.

Trump has repeatedly said he would take aggressive action against China to reduce the US trade deficit with the country. But if the talks with Xi don't produce Trump's desired result of getting Beijing to solve the North Korean nuclear problem, Trump said the US would take action.

"If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will," Trump told the Financial Times.

Asked to clarify if he believed the US could solve the problem without China, Trump said: "totally."

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