US President Donald Trump’s unexpected affirmation of Kim Jong-un’s good health provoked an avalanche of both confusion and judgment. The remarks came in the wake of claims about the two leaders’ friendship in a new book.
“Kim Jong Un is in good health. Never underestimate him!” Trump tweeted on Thursday. The president was likely referring to recently-circulating rumors about the North Korean leader falling seriously ill or even dying, despite little evidence backing that up.
Kim Jong Un coming back from the dead like pic.twitter.com/tGK3AXUUqJ
Trump’s short tweet provoked myriad comments and rocket-boosted Kim’s name into trending topics on Twitter. At first there was confusion, as Twitter users struggled to grasp the apparent urgency to reassure people of Kim’s stamina. Some even suggested Trump was under the influence while tweeting.
are you high
I’m so damn lost. I mean..what in the..I…I don’t know anymore! WHAT IS THISSSSSS! A damn tweet about Kim Jong Un!
A number of commenters found it ‘problematic’ for the US president to “praise the North Korean dictator,” while many more weighed in with a variety of memes about the pair’s friendship.
Trump just loves dictators. They play him like a fiddle but he still keeps on loving them.
YAAAAAY!!!! <3 pic.twitter.com/OYtoYwjl76
The president’s comment was also linked to allegations made in a new book by US journalist Bob Woodward, claiming that Trump is personally friendly with Kim to the point that the latter supposedly confided in Trump about killing his uncle to prevent a power grab.
The book made headlines on Wednesday for reporting that Trump wished to publicly ‘downplay’ the scope of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the author releasing audio clips to apparently back up the assertion. The White House has denied the claims.
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