HOW FAR WE'VE FALLEN: There's an active debate between "the president's public communications risk nuclear war" and "no they don't, you shouldn't take him so seriously." No one's even bothering to make case that the president's statements improve American national security.
If I had to make a case, it'd be a variation on the Madman Theory. Convince China the US might actually attack, prompting China to try and rein in North Korea. But that requires delicate execution, and I'm not confident the Trump administration can pull it off. Or is even trying.