Little Marco,” “Crooked Hillary,” “Lying Ted” and now “Rocket Man.” President Donald Trump distances himself from his opponents using creative terms on a daily basis.
These are all insults made up by Trump in an attempt to discredit his opponents — but has it gone too far now that these insults have been brought on an international stage?
At his U.N. speech last week, Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “Rocket Man.”
Kim’s response? Trump is a “Dotard” — a word which peaked in usage in the 1800s and has since been on a steady decline. According to a Google search, the term means “an old person, especially one who has become weak or senile.”
Although Trump’s statements about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were often misogynistic or just untrue, at least there was no risk she would unleash a nuclear attack. The risk of these attacks was low, and the risk of attacking his own party was even lower. His statements may have gained him voters who wanted someone who wasn’t politically correct. In American society, there’s nothing Trump’s opponents could have done about this.
When insulting a foreign leader who doesn’t have to respect American laws, the stakes are higher. In a dictatorship like North Korea, military action could be decided simply by the leader’s feelings that day. North Korea has already launched a missile over Japan, and their weapons could easily reach Guam, an American territory. Rather than focusing on maintaining the distant relationship we have with North Korea, Trump antagonized them, putting everyone at risk.
The language of international affairs has been lowered to that of grade-school bullies in the way that Trump made American politics childish during the 2016 election. What does this say about the U.S. that our president resorts to playground taunts to get his point across?
In the past, the U.S. has successfully negotiated the trade of certain prisoners in North Korea. Despite the tense relationship between the U.S. and North Korea, the prestige of being visited by former President Bill Clinton helped patch things up by giving Jong-un the legitimacy he craved.
In many ways, U.S. diplomacy with North Korea was all about playing their game. As long as the U.S. gave them some legitimacy, negotiations were possible. Who knows what would happen if a similar situation were to arise today?
The U.S. has always taken pride in the fact the American dream is something many aspire to have. But this behavior on an international stage might make people think the U.S. isn’t as welcoming as it lets on.
Trump’s childlike rhetoric might put Americans and all other nations that fall within North Korea’s trajectory in danger.
The insensitivity to global norms embarrasses the U.S., and it’s not as if Trump’s staff is completely behind him either. There’s an image of White House chief of staff John Kelly with his head in his hands during Trump’s U.N. speech. It speaks to the embarrassment even those in Trump’s inner circle feel. The U.S. doesn’t have to be friends with North Korea, but open taunts to a country that possesses nuclear weapons probably aren’t wise either.
The U.S. needs to step up and become the international leader it once was instead of resorting to childish taunts. The international community, many of whom have already denounced Trump, might soon leave the U.S. in the dust as it makes unwise decisions that will impact the world’s future.
Nicole Dan is a UF political science and journalism senior. Her column appears on Mondays.
