North Korea
Mike Pompeo is reportedly bringing Kim Jong Un a CD with Elton John's 'Rocket Man,' signed by Trump
President Trump is clearly an Elton John fan. "Tiny Dancer" was a campaign rally staple, he referred to North Korea's Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man" on Twitter and before the United Nations General Assembly, John had to shoot down a hopeful Trump team rumor that he was performing at Trump's inauguration, and at a rally in Montana on Thursday evening, Trump bragged about his crowd sizes, telling the audience:
I have broken more Elton John records — he seems to have a lot of records. And I, by the way, I don't have a musical instrument. I don't have a guitar or an organ — no organ. Elton has an organ, and lots of other people helping. ... So we break all of these records. Really we do it without like, the musical instruments. This is the only musical: the mouth. And hopefully, the brain attached to the mouth, right? The brain, more important than the mouth, is the brain. The brain is much more important. [President Trump, Montana rally]
But it's the "Rocket Man" nickname that is making actual news. During Trump's lunch with Kim in Singapore last month, "Kim mentioned that Trump referred to him as 'Rocket Man' when tensions ran high last year," and "Trump then asked Kim if he knew the song and Kim said no," a diplomatic source in Washington tells South Korea's The Chosunilbo. So Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is bringing a CD with "Rocket Man" with him to Pyongyang on Friday, reportedly bearing a note for Kim from Trump and Trump's signature. Pompeo, who is under mounting pressure to get Kim to agree to concrete denuclearization steps, is also apparently bringing a letter from Trump to Kim. Many experts are skeptical that Kim is open to destroying his nuclear weapons program. Read more about Trump's gifts for Kim at The Chosunilbo.