Wait, Trump really is going to give Kim Jong-un a CD of Elton John's 'Rocket Man'

'I'm not the man they think I am at home'
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
Wait, Trump really is going to give Kim Jong-un a CD of Elton John's 'Rocket Man'
"Everyone knows 'Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road' but I'm partial to 'Captain Fantastic'." Credit: Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock

UPDATE: July 10, 2018, 4:08 p.m. EDT Well, what do you know. It turns out that Pompeo didn't give Kim the recording of "Rocket Man" but Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he himself would be giving the CD to Kim at a "certain time." Glad we have that cleared up.


Even for an administration as bombastic as the Trump White House, this one feels a little too on the nose.

But South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo claims that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took two gifts with him on his latest diplomatic trip to North Korea: a letter from President Donald Trump and a CD including the Elton John song "Rocket Man."


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The letter? Of course, I get that.

The CD, though? That seems like a bit much, even from a president who has no trouble antagonizing just about everyone.

"Rocket Man," in case you forgot in the fog of news, has been Trump's go-to insult for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.

According to Chosun Ilbo, at their recent summit, Trump asked Kim if he knew the Elton John song from which he got the insult. Kim said no, so Trump sent the song along as a gift and, "reportedly wrote a message on it and signed it." Well, he does love to autograph all kinds of things.

So far, as NBC News notes, no other media outlet has confirmed what "sources" told Chosun Ilbo. And, for his part, Pompeo simply laughed at the question which, under normal circumstances, is completely understandable.

But.. things these days sure as hell aren't normal. Trump has prided himself on defying norms during both his candidacy and his presidency thus far.

And that extends to how he treats foreign leaders. Trump has gone from insulting and threatening North Korea to treating Kim Jong-un better than any of our traditional allies. Trump isn't just destroying norms; he's bludgeoning them with his Oval Office swivel chair.

So did Trump really send that CD?

Who knows.

But, given the context of Trump's presidency, is it completely believable that he would.

Either way, here's hoping Kim Jong-Un hears "Rocket Man" eventually, because it's a great song.

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

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