Rodman gives Kim Trump’s deal book
Print Edition
DENNIS Rodman has delivered a message from President Donald Trump to North Korea — sort of.
Yesterday, the former NBA player gave the country’s sports minister a copy of Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” a present intended for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
It wasn’t signed by Trump, who was Rodman’s boss for two seasons of the “Celebrity Apprentice” reality TV show. Rodman has said his visit has nothing to do with the White House.
His current visit to Pyongyang has so far been low key for the flamboyant celebrity, who has visited the North four times before.
While his previous visits in 2013 and 2014 often drew controversy, Rodman has said this week he’s just here to meet old friends and have a good time.
He and his small entourage have been spending time hanging out with young North Korean basketball players and visiting local sights.
He watched a North Korean men’s basketball team and met Sports Minister Kim Il Guk. Along with the Trump book, other gifts he presented for Kim Jong Un include a copy of “Where’s Waldo? The Totally Essential Travel Collection,” a mermaid puzzle, two sets of soap and two autographed jerseys.
Rodman also met North Korean Olympic athletes, including judo gold medalist An Kum Ae.
“All of you guys should be proud of yourselves, because, you know, a lot of people don’t give you guys credit, because this is such a small country, and not many people from North Korea can compete around the world,” Rodman said.
He continued: “But for you guys to come back here in your country, with a medal, that says a lot about North Korea, because people don’t really take North Korea so seriously about sports or anything like that.”
Rodman, one of the only Westerners to have personally met Kim Jong Un, has been criticized for a prior trip where he sang “Happy Birthday” to Kim and suggested an American missionary was at fault for his own imprisonment in North Korea, remarks for which he later apologized.
But the sports minister made clear Rodman is viewed fondly in Pyongyang, and “also we feel that you are an old friend.”
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