Published : Oct. 28, 2020 - 09:28
(C-SPAN)
WASHINGTON -- Former US President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump Tuesday for coddling dictators, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and giving them everything they want.
"You think he is going to stand up to dictators?" the former president asked while speaking in support of his former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden.
Obama's remarks came one day after Trump said Kim, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and some 40 others are sharp as a "tack," insisting that Biden would not be capable of dealing with them.
Trump went on to claim that they don't want to deal with Biden, and that one of them has actually told him that they hope Trump wins the upcoming election "because we don't want to deal with somebody that sleeps all of the time."
Obama said he believed what Trump said is true.
"We know. We know because you have been giving them whatever you want for the last four years. Of course they want you to win," he said while campaigning for Biden in Orlando, Florida.
He urged Trump to think about why they would want him instead of Biden.
"You shouldn't brag about the fact that some of our greatest adversaries think they would be better off with you in office. Of course they do. What does that say about you?" he said.
Biden, on the other hand, will not coddle dictators, Obama insisted.
"Joe will restore our better standing around the world because he knows our true strength comes from setting an example that the world wants to follow -- a nation that stands with democracy, not dictators. A nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like climate change and terrorism and poverty and disease," said Obama.
Biden has often criticized Trump for cozying up to dictators such as Kim.
Trump, however, claims his good relationship with the North Korean leader has prevented a nuclear war with the communist state.
Trump and Kim have held three meetings, including the first and second-ever US-North Korea summits, in June 2018 and February 2019.
Their talks, however, have stalled since their second summit in Hanoi ended without a deal. (Yonhap)