Donald Trump lapsing into ‘the dotage of a dotard’, says North Korea
Insult came after US president again talked of military action

North Korea has renewed its verbal attacks on President Trump, describing him as a “dotard” for a second time, after he raised the prospect of military action against the regime.
The North Korean foreign ministry said his words “must really be diagnosed as the relapse of the dotage of a dotard”.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a dotard as “a person whose mental faculties are impaired, specifically, a person whose intellect or understanding is impaired in old age”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The use of the term, which the North first used to describe Trump in 2017, came after Trump said that Kim “likes sending rockets up” and reserved the right to use military force against Pyongyang.
, North Korea's First Vice-Foreign Minister, was quoted by
According to North Korea's state news agency, the country’s foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, said he could “not repress displeasure over the utterances made by President Trump inappropriately at the most sensitive time”.
The statement “has a serious undertone”, says The Guardian, because the last time the two leaders were “exchanging epithets” their countries were on the brink of conflict.
The US and North Korea have since held face-to-face talks, in Singapore in June 2018, and in Vietnam in February this year, aimed at denuclearisation.
However, the talks haves since stalled, and despite an eye-catching meeting between the two presidents at the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea in June, the North has restarted testing of short-range ballistic missiles.
An analyst said the latest war of words could herald a wake-up call for the US president. “I think we're seeing the start of what could be a return to a very familiar crisis in 2020,” Ankit Panda, North Korea expert at the Federation of American Scientists, told the BBC.
“We're beginning to see the scenario that many of us had warned of from the get-go of diplomacy: a capricious and irritable Trump coming to terms with the reality of his reality-TV diplomacy with North Korea.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What does the Le Pen verdict mean for the future of French politics?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Convicted of embezzlement and slapped with a five year ban on running for public office, where does arch-conservative Marine Le Pen go from here — and will the movement she leads follow?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Discount stores were thriving. How did they stumble?
The Explainer Blame Walmart — and inflation
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defense
In the Spotlight The former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
By David Faris Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
The Explainer Trump is not the only US president who has tried to gain control of Greenland
By The Week UK Published
-
What dangers does the leaked Signal chat expose the US to?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House's ballooning group chat scandal offered a masterclass in what not to say when prying eyes might be watching
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Even authoritarian regimes need a measure of public support — the consent of at least some of the governed'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
USPS Postmaster General DeJoy steps down
Speed Read Louis DeJoy faced ongoing pressure from the Trump administration as they continue to seek power over the postal system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge: Nazis treated better than Trump deportees
speed read U.S. District Judge James Boasberg reaffirmed his order barring President Donald Trump from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published