Ron DeSantis slams Trump for congratulating ‘murderous dictator’ Kim Jong-un for North Korea’s seat on World Health Organization board
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slams Donald Trump for congratulating North Korea on being appointed to WHO’s board of directors
- Trump posted an article critical of the WHO for being given a governing position – but ignored the content to congratulate Kim Jong Un
- “I was surprised to see that,” DeSantis told reporters in Iowa on Saturday
Ron DeSantis is the latest 2024 candidate to spank Donald Trump for his warm words for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, ramping up his rhetoric against the former president.
Trump praised Kim in a Truth Social post on Friday for North Korea’s nomination to the World Health Organization’s board of directors. He linked in the post to an American Greatness story critical of the position awarded to WHO, but ignored the article’s premise to praise Kim, whom he has called a friend.
“I was surprised to see that,” DeSantis told reporters in Iowa on Saturday when asked about the post.
The Florida government called Kim a “murderous dictator” for putting an entire family, including a baby, in prison for life — and railed against the World Health Organization in general.
“The World Health Organization is a bankrupt organization,” he complained. “Like, Kim Jong Un is bad, but then join?”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slams Donald Trump for congratulating North Korea on being appointed to WHO’s board of directors
“We need to get out of there and reject the WHO lockdown treaty, not congratulate us on our involvement with the WHO,” he added.
Trump, in his ongoing rambling about the authoritarian leader, posted on his social media site, “Congratulations to Kim Jung (sic) Un.”
However, the article he linked to was critical of North Korea’s entry into the WHO because of the country’s repeated human rights abuses under the decades-long leadership of Kim and his family.
Last week the news came that Dr. Jong Min Pak of the North Korean Ministry of Health will join and serve on the WHO Board of Directors until 2026.
Trump is the distant frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential primary, with DeSantis in second place — by at least 20 points in most polls.
DeSantis avoided direct criticism of the former president before officially launching his campaign two weeks ago, but has now begun attacking Trump, saying he was not effective enough in the executive branch.
On Truth Social, Trump spends much of his time swearing at DeSantis, calling him “Rob DeSanctimonious” and making baseless claims against the Florida governor.
DeSantis wasn’t alone in criticizing Trump for his warm words for Kim.
Trump posted the congratulations to North Korea’s authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, with an article criticizing the WHO for taking the country to a governing position
Trump’s former No. 2 Mike Pence and his former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, a fellow 2024 presidential candidate, spoke out against the ex-president.
“This is a time when we need to make it clear to the world that we stand for freedom, and we stand with those who stand for freedom,” said former Vice President Pence, as he is expected to launch a presidential candidate in the coming weeks .
“You don’t congratulate a felon,” Haley told Fox News. “I mean, let’s keep this in mind: this thug has threatened America. It has threatened our allies time and time again. This is not something to play with.’
‘He’s a terrible person. He is terrible to his people. He is terrible to our allies in the world. And I don’t think he deserves congratulations,” the former South Carolina governor added.