Donald Trump recalled in a recent speech that he gave Kim Jong-un a cassette player and a tape featuring the 1970s Elton John song “Rocket Man.”
A gift for “Rocket Man”: The former U.S. President was speaking during the first night of his four-date “History Tour” at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Saturday when he claimed that he let the North Korean leader listen to the song, reported Business Insider.
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- According to Trump, he even played the song for Kim with a cassette player that he ensured was not from South Korea.
- “I played it for him quickly and I said, ‘I did you a favor because you love sending rockets all over the place,'” Trump shared, referencing the missile tests that the North Korean government has been conducting in recent years.
- Trump said he also explained the reason behind the nickname: “I called you Rocket Man — that was great — because I could see you, I could envisage you, sitting like you sit on a horse, on a saddle, sitting on a rocket flying over Japan.”
- Trump first coined the nickname “Rocket Man” for Kim in 2017 after speaking with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in over the phone.
- “I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night,” Trump wrote. “Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!”
- He would go on to use the moniker to refer to Kim multiple times in speeches and interviews.
Meant as a joke: In 2018, it was reported that Trump ordered former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to hand Kim an Elton John CD signed by the then-president during a visit to Pyongyang, according to Chosun Ilbo.
- The CD, which was allegedly John’s 1972 album “Honky Château,” included the song “Rocket Man” and was reportedly planned to be given as a joke.
- A week after Pompeo’s North Korea visit, Trump confirmed the CD was not delivered to Kim. “They didn’t give it, I have it for him, they didn’t give it, but it will be given at a certain time,” Trump said. “I actually do have a little gift for him, but you’ll find out what that gift is when I give it,” he added.
Trump’s recent speech marks the first time he publicly addressed the “Rocket Man” story, albeit with several key detail changes.
Featured Image via Korea Now
