May 26, 2019

Donald Trump Just Loves That North Korea Called Joe Biden “a Fool of Low IQ”

The US president and North Korean dictator share a mutual loathing for the Democratic frontrunner.

President Donald Trump sits at dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, May 26, 2019, in Tokyo. Evan Vucci/AP

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While visiting Japan on a state visit, President Donald Trump praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Trump tweeted on Saturday evening that he “smiled when [Kim] called Swampman Joe Biden a low IQ individual, & worse. Perhaps that’s sending me a signal?”

A statement by North Korean state media earlier in the week called Biden a “fool of low IQ” and “an imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being, let alone a politician.” As political insults go, this is much more pungent than Trump’s usual “Sleepy Joe” bit. 

On NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, host Chuck Todd asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders why “Americans should not be concerned that the president of the United States is essentially siding with a murderous, authoritarian dictator over a former vice president of the United States?”

“I think they agree in their assessment of former Vice President Joe Biden,” Sanders responded.

“Given Vice President Biden’s record of standing up for American values and interests, it’s no surprise that North Korea would prefer that Donald Trump remain in the White House,” a Biden spokesperson responded.

Trump also downplayed the threat from North Korean’s testing of a new short-range missile in early May, while admitting that some of his advisers disagreed with him.

“North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me,” he tweeted. “I have confidence that Chairman Kim will keep his promise to me.”

Those dissenting advisers include hawkish National Security Adviser John Bolton, who said there was “no doubt” that North Korea’s test violated United Nations resolutions.

Trump’s statements about North Korea will also likely displease his Japanese hosts, since that country is within range of being hit by North Korean missiles.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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