Donald Trump promises Americans will be protected from 'little Rocketman' Kim Jong-un

Donald Trump has pledged to protect Americans from the threat posed by "little rocketman" Kim Jong-un.

The president used a speech in Huntsville,  Alabama to both step up his attack on the North Korean leader and settle some domestic  political scores.

Nominally Mr Trump was speaking in support of  Luther Strange who is facing a tough battle to hold on to the US Senate seat he has held since filling the vacancy created by the appointment of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

There was no letting up in the war of words with Kim, who earlier this week called the US president "mentally deranged" and a "dotard".

Determined that Kim should not have the last word, he told a cheering crowd:  "We have some really, really bad people and we are going to take care of the bad people. It's about time."

He continued  "Little Rocketman should have been handled a long time ago, by Clinton - I won't mention the Republicans - by Obama."

He went on: "We can't have that madman out there shooting rockets all over the place.

"He is talking about massive weapons exploding all over the Pacific Ocean which causes a terrific calamity where the plume goes.

"Maybe something gets worked out, maybe it doesn't, personally I am not sure it will.

"But I will tell you something, you are protected. Nobody is going to mess with our people, nobody is going to  play games, nobody is going to put our people in that  kind of danger."

"He may be smart, he may be totally strategic, he may be crazy, but we are going to handle it, folks."

Mr Trump hammered home his "America First" message. 

"I am the one who really means it. That is the difference," he said.

"I am not going to worry so much about other countries, but I am going to treat them with respect.

"I believe the path to a more peaceful world is independent nations who respect other people."

With the latest attempt to scrap Obamacare hanging by a thread, Mr Trump rounded on John McCain, the Arizona senator who has said he will vote against the latest bill sponsored by two Republican senators, Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy.

He also used the speech to mend fences with Jeff Sessions,  his beleaguered attorney general.

After months in which Mr Trump voiced disappointment in Mr Sessions' performance, the president said the former Alabama senator was doing a "fine job".