Trump deflects criticism after supporting N.K. insult of Biden

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday deflected criticism that he insulted a fellow American over a dictator when he agreed with North Korea's harsh assessment of Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden.

Trump has come under fire since he made remarks on Twitter and during a press conference in Tokyo over the weekend that supported North Korea's statement last week on the former vice president.

In a commentary published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang slammed Biden as a "a fool of low IQ," apparently in response to the presidential candidate's labeling of Kim Jong-un as a tyrant and dictator.

"I was actually sticking up for Sleepy Joe Biden while on foreign soil," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Kim Jong Un called him a 'low IQ idiot,' and many other things, whereas I related the quote of Chairman Kim as a much softer 'low IQ individual.' Who could possibly be upset with that?"

Biden's campaign called out Trump earlier Tuesday for comments it said were "beneath the dignity of the office."

"To be on foreign soil, on Memorial Day, and to side repeatedly with a murderous dictator against a fellow American and former Vice President speaks for itself," Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.

hague@yna.co.kr
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