Conway: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un insulted Trump first

White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said Sunday that a tweet in which President Trump called Kim Jong Un “short and fat” was just a response to an earlier insult by the North Korean leader.

“What’s helpful in full context is a 13-day trip where the president is very focused on global security and combating terrorism and most importantly, containing a nuclearized North Korea,” Conway said on ABC’s “This Week” when asked if the tweet is helpful. 

“And you think name-calling is helpful? Calling somebody short and fat?” host Martha Raddatz asked. 

“I think that was the president just responding the way he does to somebody who insulted him first,” Conway said.

While in Vietnam, Trump fired off a tweet questioning why the North Korean leader would call him old, “when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat.’ ” He has previously dubbed Kim “Rocket Man.” 

Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me “old,” when I would NEVER call him “short and fat?” Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend – and maybe someday that will happen!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2017

Hours later, Trump spoke at a press conference and called for “progress, not provocation” with North Korea, adding that “we want stability, not chaos, and we want peace, not war.”

Trump arrived in the Philippines on Sunday.