President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “agree in their assessment” of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Sanders made the remarks during an appearance on NBC’s Meet The Press , reports The Hill .
“I think they agree in their assessment of former Vice President Joe Biden,” the press secretary said, arguing that President Trump remains committed to building a diplomatic relationship with the North Korean dictator, in order to ensure that the Korean peninsula is denuclearized.
“Again, the president’s focus in this process is the relationship he has and making sure we continue on the path towards denuclearization,” she said.
Host Chuck Todd pressed Sanders about the issue, suggesting that Trump is sending the wrong message by sharing Kim Jong-un’s opinion about the former vice president. Sanders defended her boss, stating that Trump “doesn’t need somebody else to give him an assessment of Joe Biden.”
“He’s given his own assessment a number of times,” she said.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , President Trump’s echoing of Kim Jong-un’s remarks about Joe Biden caused a lot of controversy. On Saturday, in a confusing, misspelled, and since deleted tweet, Trump acknowledged that North Korea fired short-range missiles earlier this month, stating that he — unlike some of his advisers — is not concerned about the development.
The president then added that he has confidence in Kim Jong-un, praising the regime for insulting former Vice President Joe Biden.
“Perhaps that’s sending me a signal?” Trump asked, suggesting that North Korea’s description of Joe Biden as a “fool of low IQ” is some sort of a secret signal, given that he has also questioned Biden’s intelligence in the past.
US president and North Korean dictator are in agreement on their shared criticism of former US vice president, White House says. https://t.co/kl7uE4VFFe – @MeetThePress
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 26, 2019
Pundits, journalists, and critics accused the president of breaking the unwritten diplomatic rule of not discussing domestic affairs abroad — Trump is currently in Japan, meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — with some questioning his mental fitness, and suggesting that the tweet is bizarre, disrespectful, and confusing.
As the Hill notes, the Biden campaign responded to Trump’s comments, stating that it is “no surprise” that Kim Jong-un would “prefer” Donald Trump in the White House.
Trump deletes tweet about Joe Biden after it goes viral https://t.co/vWt9Cl5OIk pic.twitter.com/NDLNTceWQF
— The Hill (@thehill) May 26, 2019
Joe Biden is currently the Democratic frontrunner, leading in virtually every single poll by double digits. According to polling data published by RealClearPolitics , all polls conducted thus far show Biden beating Trump in the general election.
Some have expressed skepticism about Biden’s chances, however. As CNBC reported, Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman suggested that Biden could win the Democratic primary, but struggle in the general election.
