This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
US President Donald Trump responded to North Korea's harsh criticism of Joe Biden, calling him a 'rabid dog'.
On Friday, North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, accused Biden of slandering the country's supreme leadership, saying he had shown 'temerity' in doing so.
The KCNA statement went further, calling Biden a 'rabid dog' that must be 'beaten to death with a stick'.
Trump tweeted in response, saying Biden was 'somewhat better than that', but still not a 'rabid dog'. He also used the opportunity to reiterate his offer to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, saying 'I am the only one who can get you where you have to be'.
Trump's tweet came after the Biden campaign released an ad criticizing Trump's foreign policy, saying 'dictators and tyrants are praised, our allies pushed aside'. The ad included a picture of Trump and Kim Jong-Un shaking hands at their Singapore summit last year.
It was not clear what had provoked North Korea's ire, but the country welcomed news on Sunday that joint US-South Korean air drills are being postponed in what US Defense Secretary Mark Esper called an 'act of goodwill' toward the nuclear-armed North.
Trump's tweet was seen as a way to re-engage with Kim, but it was also unclear whether the president was being tongue-in-cheek in his defense of Biden.
