Great war of insults

Trump fires off ‘short and fat’ reply to ‘old lunatic’ broadside

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has exchanged schoolyard taunts with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

In a response to North Korea calling Mr Trump’s speech in South Korea “reckless remarks by an old lunatic”, Mr Trump tweeted from Hanoi yesterday morning: “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’” Mr Trump went on to say sarcastically: “Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend – and maybe some day that will happen!”

Mr Trump has been working to rally global pressure against North Korea’s nuclear weapons program on a trip to Asia. That includes a stern speech delivered in South Korea’s National Assembly early last week, in which he said: “Do not underestimate us. And do not try us. The weapons you’re acquiring are not making you safer, they are putting your regime in grave danger.”

On Saturday, Kim’s government responded by accusing Mr Trump of trying to demonise North Korea, keeping it apart from the international community and undermining its government.

“Reckless remarks by an old lunatic like Trump will never scare us or stop our advance,” the North’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“On the contrary, all this makes us more sure that our choice to promote economic construction at the same time as building up our nuclear force is all the more righteous, and it pushes us to speed up the effort to complete our nuclear force.” North Korea is not known to have tested any of its missiles or nuclear devices since September 15, a relative lull after a series of tests.

Asked at a news conference with Vietnam’s president later yesterday if he could become friends with the North Korean leader, Mr Trump replied it “might be a strange thing to happen but it’s certainly a possibility”.