Opponents of President Trump on Twitter mocked the White House’s Thursday announcement that it is scrapping a planned summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, with the president citing “tremendous anger and open hostility” toward the U.S.
“I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” Trump wrote in a letter to Kim.
{mosads}The decision came one day after a North Korean official said the nation was ready to inflict an “appalling tragedy” on the U.S., dismissing Vice President Pence as a “political dummy.”
Hashtags including #Nobel, #NorthKoreaSummit and #KimJongUn quickly jumped to the list of trending topics on the popular social media site, with much of the derision aimed at Trump, particularly as it pertained to prospects of the former reality TV star winning a Nobel Peace Prize, which had been floated by multiple conservative lawmakers.
Many Twitter users in particular took issue with a commemorative coin the White House released earlier this week to mark the talks. As of Thursday morning, the coins were still on sale at the White House gift shop’s website for $85.
Kim and Trump had been set to meet on June 12 in Singapore per a general agreement made back in March following months of verbal salvos that included Trump referring to Kim as “Little Rocket Man” and North Korea calling Trump a “dotard” as tensions between the two countries escalated over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
“You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used,” Trump wrote to Kim, echoing comments from last year when North Korea was at the height of its missile testing program.
“They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He has been very threatening … and as I said they will be met with fire, fury and, frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before,” the president said on Aug. 8.