All the negative hype about President Trump’s “Rocket Man” nickname for Kim Jong Un may have been a wild overreaction.
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Wednesday morning, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley defended the president’s address to the United Nations and his harsh words for North Korea.
Stephanopoulos questioned Trump’s threats to North Korea, suggesting he may have been too hard on the hostile foreign power at the General Assembly meeting.
(He also must have forgotten that this rhetoric has been used by Obama in the past. The previous president has been quoted, saying “we could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals.”)
Haley had to remind Stephanopoulos that it’s not the U.S. that’s prompting these threats.
She stated:
[Kim Jong Un] is a man who continues to test ballistic missiles, he continues to test now hydrogen bombs, he continues to threaten our allies, he says he’s going to destroy the United States to ashes … so if you want to talk about who’s giving threats it’s certainly been the Kim regime.
And when Stephanopoulos pressed Haley on Trump’s recent nickname for the North Korean dictator, she had an even better response.
She says “Rocket Man” worked, and “every other international community is referring to him as ‘Rocket Man.'”
This is just great. Stephanopoulos was worried about Kim Jong Un’s feelings — probably since Trump recently gave him a nickname too. Little George was expecting Haley to fall on her face and retract Rocket Man. He probably expected Haley to back down.
But no. Instead she recounted a conversation with an African president who actually used the name and said everybody loves it. The U.N. is wild for “Rocket Man.” Trump is bringing the world together with a nickname. A nickname.
Elton John may as well call up Trump to congratulate him for the branding genius.
Fantastic foreign policy out of the president. Absolutely incredible. I already can’t wait for next year’s UNGA. Trump will have a whole year to think up the next great nickname for whatever enemy he chooses next.