US President Donald Trump has stepped forward to defend his rival, former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, after the latter got slammed by North Korean media in an apparent response to his criticism of Kim Jong-un.
Earlier, North Korea's official KCNA news agency described Biden as a "rabid dog" that will soon pass away and needs to be put down, adding that he was allegedly exhibiting the "final stage of dementia".
"Mr. Chairman, Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a rabid dog’," the US president tweeted. "He is actually somewhat better than that, but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be. You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon!"
As AFP points out, it wasn’t immediately clear to what extent Trump was “being tongue-in-cheek” in his description of Biden, or whether he was “using his tweet as a way to re-engage with Kim”.
Trump’s message, however, quickly elicited a wave of criticism from social media users who bashed him over his relations with Kim.
Some, however, went on to slam Biden instead.
Earlier, in October, the North Korean delegation led by chief negotiator Kim Myong Gil conducted denuclearisation talks with the US delegation headed by Stephen Biegun in Sweden.
The negotiations, however, fell through, with North Korean diplomats claiming that their US counterparts came to the meeting empty handed.