Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, former NBA star Dennis Rodman appeared on CNN following the historic summit between Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
Visibly emotional, Rodman broke down in tears during the interview, praising the POTUS for wanting to meet with Kim. Rodman said he did not quite understand what the situation in North Korea was really like the first time he had gone there, but he said he was still “very honored” to visit the Asian country.
Apart from praising Donald Trump, the retired NBA legend took a jab at former president Barack Obama, who did not give him “the time of the day.” Unlike Trump, Obama brushed off Rodman’s efforts to act as a mediator between Kim and the United States.
Rodman, through tears, said he received death threats for meeting the North Korean dictator. “I took all those bullets. Everyone came at me and I’m still standing,” the former Chicago Bulls player said, adding that everyone ridiculed him for wanting to act as a mediator and peacemaker.
Speaking about Kim Jong-un, Dennis Rodman said that North Korea’s dictator is, in fact, an intelligent man who wants to be around the world, “loves to have a good time,” and is “more like a big kid.” Kim, Rodman told CNN , wants the best for his people.
Rodman told CNN’s Chris Cuomo that he had heard from the White House, specifically the president’s secretary. President Trump, Rodman said, is proud of him and thanks him a lot.
“Donald Trump reached out. He called – his secretary – she called me and said, ‘Dennis, Donald Trump is so proud of you. He thanks you a lot.’ That means a lot.”
Rodman said he doesn’t want to take any credit; he is just “thankful” to be where he is. The former Chicago Bulls power forward, the Daily Mail noted, is a two-time Celebrity Apprentice contestant and has built and cultivated a relationship with the current president of the United States, Donald Trump, over the years.
Rodman has, likewise, become a friend of North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un and, by his own admission, he has “fallen in love with North Korea” and its people.
“This man isn’t all selfies and smiles, he’s responsible for the deaths and hardships of a lot of people,” CNN’s Chris Cuomo pressed Dennis Rodman, who responded that he’s not trying to make Kim – who has been a “good friend” to him – look like a better person, adding that he wants to see “the politics of this entire situation go away.”
All Rodman wants to do, he said, is bring the two countries closer together. Everything else is in the president’s hands. Donald Trump, Rodman said, should get credit for this because he is the person who made it all happen.
The historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended, Reuters noted, with promise, since North Korea’s dictator vowed to move toward complete denuclearization.
Cautious and serious, the two leaders, according to a body language expert Reuters spoke to, displayed signs of nerves, but after a handshake, they smiled and held each other by the arm.
According to Reuters , several analysts see the summit as light in substance and remain unsure of how effective the agreement would prove to be in the long run, regarding North Korea’s much-anticipated denuclearization.