North Korea says Fire and Fury book signals Donald Trump's 'political demise'

US President is being 'massively humiliated worldwide', according to state-run newspaper

North Korea has claimed that an explosive new book detailing the inner workings of Donald Trump’s White House signals his “political demise”.

The US President called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House “fake” and “full of lies” after author Michael Wolff made a string of embarrassing allegations about his apparent shortcomings as Commander-in-Chief.

An editorial in North Korea's state-run newspaper, Rodung Sinmun, has nonetheless claimed that the book's popularity reflects “rapidly surging anti-Trump sentiments in the international community”.

It said: "The anti-Trump book is sweeping all over the world so Trump is being massively humiliated worldwide."

High predicted sales for the book were a reflection of the US leader's "political demise”, it added.

Around 29,000 copies of Fire and Fury were sold within the first 24 hours of it hitting the shelves, according to NPD BookScan.

Digital sales already top 250,000 and audio sales exceed 100,000, according to Macmillan, the parent company of the book's publisher, Henry Holt and Co.

It has raised an initial printing run of 150,000 to more than a million.

It made series of salacious allegations against the US leader, including the claim that he had not expected to win the presidency.

It also alleged that he likes to pursue his friend's wives and that he eats McDonald because he fears being poisoned.

North Korea has now seized on the book to attack its rival.

Mr Trump has traded insults with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un since he took office almost a year ago.

After the secretive communist state announced plans to fire missiles towards the US territory of Guam Mr Trump threatened to hit the pariah state with "fire and fury like the world has never seen".

The US leader has continued to trade insults with Mr Kim who has repeatedly referred to as "Rocket Man".

Mr Kim meanwhile called his rival a "mentally deranged US dotard”.

Throughout, the North has continued to conduct long-range intercontinental missile tests, some of which have been fired over the Japanese mainland.

In September it claimed that it had successfully tested a nuclear weapon that could be loaded on to a long-range missile.

Hours after seismologists had detected an earth tremors, it said its sixth nuclear test had been a "perfect success". Experts later disputed this claim.

In his New Year's address last week, Mr Kim said he has a "nuclear button" that could strike any target in the US."

Mr Trump responded that he has a much bigger and more powerful "nuclear button”.

However, North Korea has taken steps towards improving ties with South Korea and the first formal talks between the two nations took place earlier this week.

Pyongyang has also said it will delegation to next month's Winter Olympics and hold military talks aimed at easing front-line animosity.

But North Korea hasn't stopped its rhetoric against Mr Trump. Last week, the country's state media called Mr Trump a "war maniac" and "madman”.

Additional reporting by AP