Calls Kim Jong Un 'Rocket Man' in tweet, cites 'long gas lines' in North Korea days before UN speech

Trump tweeted that he had asked South Korean President Moon Jae-in 'how Rocket Man is doing,' applying the mocking nickname to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and added 'Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!' The tweet came days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan and amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program. It introduced the 'Rocket Man' epithet that Trump then repeated in his September 19 address to the UN General Assembly. Commentators noted the personalized taunting of a nuclear-armed adversary through social media.

"I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!" Quote verified against source