‘You love sending rockets all over the place’: Trump says he gave ‘Rocket Man’ cassette to Kim Jong-un

December 13, 2021

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.

View post on X

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

Share this Article