Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the fifth-ranking Democrat in the House, derided President Trump on Tuesday as the “fake leader of the free world” as Trump traveled back to the United States from a trip to Japan.
The comment by Jeffries (N.Y.) came in a tweet in which he sought to highlight the silence of many Republicans in response to President Trump saying over the weekend that he agrees with the assessment of North Korean state media that former vice president Joe Biden is a “fool of low IQ.”
“Many House Republicans wrap themselves in the flag and patriotic rhetoric,” Jeffries wrote on Twitter. “But they have nothing to say when fake leader of the free world blatantly sides with a Communist North Korean Dictator? PHONIES.”
Jeffries, who was elected by his colleagues in November as chairman of the House Democratic caucus, has taken frequent aim at Trump, often using provocative language.
During an appearance Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he called Trump “functionally a studio gangster,” saying he “pretends to be a tough guy, but he is really just playing that role on TV.”
During a news conference Monday, Trump pointed to the North Korean statement about Biden’s “low IQ” and attributed it to its leader, Kim Jong Un. “I think I agree with him on that,” Trump said.
Some Republican lawmakers have criticized Trump for his comments regarding Biden, including Rep. Peter T. King (N.Y.), who said in a tweet Monday that it was “wrong” for Trump to agree with Kim.
“Politics stops at water’s edge,” he tweeted. “Never right to side with murderous dictator vs. fellow American.”
Biden is leading in early polls among the Democrats seeking the party’s nomination to take on Trump next year.
