In Iowa, Trump praises the intelligence of Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump declared during a rally in Des Moines on Wednesday night that the United States needs an intelligent leader who is able to keep up with the likes of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"President Xi of China, he's 100 percent," Trump said. "Putin of Russia, 100 percent. Kim Jong Un of North Korea, 100 percent. These people are sharp and they're smart. Joe has lost it. In his best days he wasn't a smart man, and everybody knows it." Trump was referring to former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.