In a recent campaign stop in Hialeah, Florida, former President Donald Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican nomination, praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. However, his remarks about the population size of North Korea has sparked ridicule and criticism online.

During his speech, the 77-year-old Trump exclaimed, "Kim Jong Un leads 1.4 billion people and there's no doubt about who the boss is, and they want me to say, 'He's not an intelligent man.'" Trump's statement immediately caught the attention of online users, who noticed a significant flaw in his figures.

Online users were quick to point out the error, highlighting that the population of North Korea is actually around 25 million, a stark contrast to the 1.4 billion figure mentioned by Trump. Ron Shillman commented, "The population of North Korea is 25 million," while @HawaiiDeliah criticized Trump's accuracy, stating, "Either he's lying or a dolt."

Some users speculated that Trump may have confused North Korea with China, as the latter does indeed have a population of approximately 1.4 billion. TSP suggested, "Scary to think that, three years ago, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful nuclear arsenal in the world... that he's running for it again... and that he just mixed up China and North Korea."

The social media backlash continued, with many users using this opportunity to ridicule Trump's credibility. References were made to Trump's ongoing civil fraud trial, where he is facing allegations of overvaluing business assets to secure loans and insurance deals. LauraWalkerKC quipped, "Trump inflating North Korea like he's trying to get a loan from Deutsche Bank."

Despite the mockery, Trump and Kim had established a friendship during his presidency, which exists to this day. Journalist Maggie Haberman revealed that representatives from the National Archives and Records Administration have retrieved letters between Trump and Kim, as well as other classified documents, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

While it is not uncommon for former presidents to maintain contact with foreign leaders, Haberman acknowledged that Trump's fixation on the relationship with Kim is unusual. Nevertheless, the misstatement regarding North Korea's population size has once again thrust Trump into the spotlight and fueled online criticism.

It remains to be seen how Trump will respond to the online backlash, as Newsweek has reached out to him for comment on the matter. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, it is evident that every statement and misstep made by the former president will continue to be closely scrutinized by both his supporters and detractors alike.