‘Rocket Man won’t last long’
Trump tweets threats after North says it’s inevitable to target US mainland
Washington, Sept. 24: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that North Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho and leader Kim Jong-un “won’t be around much longer” if Ri echoed the thoughts of “Little Rocket Man”, an apparent reference to Mr Kim.
Mr Ri told the United Nations General Assembly earlier on Saturday that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after “Mr Evil President” Trump called Pyongyang’s leader “rocket man”.
“Just heard foreign minister of North Korea speak at UN If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!” Mr Trump tweeted.
Mr Trump and Mr Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the US — something Mr Trump has vowed to prevent.
In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Mr Kim described Mr Trump as a “mentally deranged US Dotard” whom he would tame with fire. His comments came after Mr Trump threatened in his maiden UN address on Thursday to “totally destroy” the country of 26 million people.
It was not clear from Mr Trump’s latest tweet if he was referring to Mr Ri and Mr Kim, or North Korea more broadly.
“It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (North Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces,” Mr Ri told the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday in a show of force the Pentagon said indicated the range of US military.
It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (North Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces — Ri Yong Ho, North Korea foreign minister