U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly asked his secretary of state Mike Pompeo to gift North Korean leader Kim Jong Un an Elton John CD containing the song “Rocket Man.”
Kim brought up Trump’s derogatory nickname for him when the pair met in Singapore last month, according to South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo. Trump is said to have asked Kim if he had heard the song, to which Kim replied in the negative.
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So when Pompeo left for North Korea on Thursday to continue talks on denuclearization, Trump made sure to give his secretary of state a CD — which he signed — containing the British singer-songwriter’s songs, The Chosun Ilbo reported, citing a diplomatic source in Washington.
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Pompeo didn’t confirm or deny the gift, laughing when asked about it by reporters upon his arrival in North Korea, NBC reported.
“Rocket Man” was Trump’s favoured derogatory nickname for Kim, although he hasn’t used it publicly since the Singapore summit.
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John’s 1972 hit was a staple of Trump’s campaign rally playlist, something the British crooner and his publicist didn’t take to kindly, according to ContactMusic.
John is no supporter of Trump’s, having performed at a campaign fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in October 2016, but Trump has previously described himself as an admirer of John’s body of work.
Trump even took to Instagram in 2013 to share an old photo of himself with “my friend Elton John.”
John confirmed to The Guardian in early 2016 that he met Trump, who he described as “very nice,” but said he didn’t want his music played at Trump rallies because he disagreed with his politics.
“I’ve met Donald Trump, he was very nice to me, it’s nothing personal, his political views are his own, mine are very different, I’m not a Republican in a million years,” John said. “Why not ask Ted f*****g Nugent? Or one of those f*****g country stars? They’ll do it for you.”
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