On Thursday, Kim Jong Un lashed out at Donald Trump for threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. It's rare for Kim to make official statements that make it to the United States, but there was no way his latest one would be overlooked. That's because Kim called Trump a "dotard," inspiring countless jokes on Twitter.
It's actually pretty terrifying that the leader of North Korea, who has recently overseen the testing of hydrogen bombs, is fed up enough with Trump to step into the spotlight. At the same time, it's difficult to not get at least a chuckle out of his animated insults to Trump. After all, Trump did call Kim "Rocket Man" on an international stage. Maybe Twitter's joking about it as a coping mechanism for the sky-high tensions between North Korea and the United States. Either way, these jokes make the best out of an otherwise terrible situation. Kim's remarks actually used a lot of creative words to characterize Trump. One such word was a "gangster fond of playing with fire." He also compared Trump to a "frightened dog," and he mentioned "dotard" not once, but twice in his statement.
Action is the best option in treating the dotard who, hard of hearing, is uttering only what he wants to say. As a man representing the DPRK and on behalf of the dignity and honor of my state and people and on my own, I will make the man holding the prerogative of the supreme command in the U.S. pay dearly for his speech calling for totally destroying the DPRK.
Kim concluded with a promise: "I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire." In case you were wondering, "dotard" is a noun that refers to "a person in his or her dotage," according to Merriam-Webster. ("Dotage" is a "a state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness.") Ouch. Here are some of the best jokes Twitter came up with in response:
Name-Calling!
Trump's "Rocket Man" was also both laughable and worrisome.
I Don't Think It Was Just Trump ...
Kim used some arcane language that the average American probably wasn't familiar with.
It All Makes Sense Now
I'm not going to give Kim a pat on the back for this one, but it was accurate.
Too Soon
Trump didn't just refer to North Korea's leader as "Rocket Man" instead of his real name; he also referenced a nonexistent country: Nambia. In all fairness, he was trying to refer to Namibia.
It'll Live On
He'll always be known as a "dotard" now.
He Went There
This guy actually thanked Kim. Forget the fact that he's threatened to nuke the United States.
That's More Like It
Probably the most accurate "dotard" post I've seen all night.
Nambia Makes Another Comeback
"Nambia’s health system is increasingly self-sufficient,” Trump said at the U.N. General Assembly.
LOL
Should've known all along.
"Dotard" Is Totally Trending Now
"Kim Jong Un calls Trump a mentally deranged U.S. dotard. Searches for 'dotard' are high as a kite," Merriam-Webster tweeted.
One Way To Look At It
Some people are reminding Twitter that it needs to go forward with caution. In fact, in response to Trump's UN speech, Kim said North Korea may test another hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
I Mean, I Looked It Up
The consensus is pretty clear — at least in the Twitter-sphere.
Yeah, Trump's Not Going To Be Pleased
He doesn't react to criticism well, especially on Twitter.
Clever
There was actually a 15-foot-tall Trump rat balloon set up in D.C. this past August.
He's Right
It's Been Reborn
There's a reason you don't hear "dotard" anymore. It dates back to between 1350 and 1400.
It's Kind Of Impressive
How did he even find this word?
Dark
Not exactly how I'd prefer to see this situation, but OK.
Urban Dictionary
The Rest Of Kim's Threat Was Actually Scary
Let's not forget the rest of Kim's statement.
This Acronym
Well, this is what Trump should have expected when he waged a war of words with the mercurial North Korean leader. "North Korea has just launched another missile," Trump tweeted on July 3. "Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?" It's only going to heat up from here.
