"I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire," Kim said in a statement published through the DPRK's Korean Central News Agency Thursday.
"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime," POTUS said in his speech, which has been criticized as dangerous "cowboy language."
Though Kim's response referenced Trump's August threats that the US would unleash "fire and fury" on Pyongyang, that was not the focus of netizens. No, they were thrilled by "dotard."
Left in a state of confusion and head-scratching, many flocked to find that ancient relic, the dictionary. Others clicked and typed their way to Merriam Webster's online platform.
Amid flashbacks of those vocabulary tests your middle-school English teacher gave every Wednesday morning, they discovered dotard's meaning: "a state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness," Webster says.
That, according to the internet, is what is called an intellectual burn.
— William LeGate (@williamlegate) September 22, 2017
According to Webster the word dates back to the 14th century. Some synonyms include decrepitude, feebleness, and the ever-lovely geezerhood.
— Cameron Ridle (@CameronRidle) September 21, 2017
Per the dictionary site, since Kim burned Trump, the search for "dotard" has gone "high as a kite."
— F0REST TRUMP (@F0REST_TRUMP) September 22, 2017
That wasn't the only insult Kim tossed at The Donald. The North Korean leader also said Trump was a "gangster fond of playing with fire" and that unlike past presidents he "made unprecedented rude nonsense," suggesting that Trump was just "a frightened dog" that's barking a little too loud.
Some bubbles burst when South Korean journalist Jihye Lee said the translation of Kim's "dotard" remark might have been skewed somewhat.
— Jihye Lee 이지혜 (@TheJihyeLee) September 21, 2017
Either way, the internet is here for the drama.
