Tag: Dennis Rodman

President Trump Says He Has Considered Using Dennis Rodman to Meet with Kim Jong-un

| September 20, 2020

You can tell that President Trump loves taking shots the intellectual elites in the U.S. government:

The photo, released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (front, second from L) speaking to former NBA star Dennis Rodman (front, R) while watching a friendly basketball game between North Korean players and ex-NBA players in Pyongyang on Jan. 8, 2014. 

 U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday acknowledged that he had considered sending former Chicago Bulls basketball player Dennis Rodman to North Korea to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“He really does like Dennis Rodman, I will tell you. It’s sort of great. I always said Dennis would be better than some of these staffs that they used to send over to get to know him (Kim),” Trump said in an interview with Fox Sports Radio.

The sudden revelation came after the show’s host asked if Trump and Kim had ever talked about basketball.

Trump and Kim held three meeting between June 2018 and June 2019.

“He really did like Dennis Rodman. And they said we should maybe use him instead of somebody that graduated No. 1 at Harvard. Maybe we should use that and so I thought about that,” said Trump.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Dennis Rodman Advocates for Basketball Game Between North Korea and the US Territory of Guam

| December 13, 2017

The unofficial US ambassador to North Korea, Dennis Rodman now is advocating for a basketball game to be played between North Korea and the US territory of Guam:

Dennis Rodman plans to organize a basketball game between North Korea and the U.S. territory of Guam, the retired basketball star said Monday, as he seeks to personally mitigate a dangerous war of words between Washington and the isolated, nuclear-armed state.

“We thought, ‘This would be awesome!’” Rodman said in an interview in Beijing, his third stop on a “humanitarian tour” of Asia to promote peace between the U.S. and North Korea. “The people in Guam are all about it. They love it. You get a team from North Korea, get these guys from Pyongyang. Play it in Beijing.”

Guam’s national basketball team’s head coach, E.J. Calvo, said in an email that “this possible game would be a great opportunity.”

“We hope to inspire our young players and with something like this, the positive impact could be much greater,” he wrote.  [LA Times]

You can read more at the link, but like I have said about efforts to get North Korea to participate in the Olympics, why is sports diplomacy being used with North Korea, but not when Apartheid South Africa existed?  During its existence Apartheid South Africa was shunned from most international sporting competitions.  The Kim regime has a far worse human rights record than Apartheid South Africa ever had and are arguably the greatest threat to world peace today and yet people are begging the North Koreans to participate in international sporting events.

Just like Apartheid South Africa, the Kim regime should be shunned from international sporting events not championed to participate in them.

Dennis Rodman Wants To Help Ease Tensions Between US and North Korea

| September 8, 2017

Peace in our time with North Korea is just around the corner, US ambassador to North Korea former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman is on the case:

With tensions brewing between the leaders of the United States and North Korea, one man believes he can help keep the peace.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman hopes to “straighten things out” between President Donald Trump and supreme leader Kim Jong Un, two men Rodman calls friends.

He appeared on “Good Morning Britain” via satellite from Los Angeles on Wednesday and was asked about his relationship with Kim and the multiple trips to North Korea.

However, Rodman feels if Trump makes the first move, positive results could come of it.  (………)

“I think if the president even tries to reach out for Kim, I think it would be a great possibility things can happen,” he said, adding that Trump and Kim don’t have to be friends, just start a dialogue.  [Star-Telegram]

You can read more at the link.

Dennis Rodman Wants People to See the Good In North Korea

| June 24, 2017

Here is what US ambassador to North Korea basketball player Dennis Rodman had to say about his recent trip to North Korea:

Rodman also discussed how the country has changed over the course of his visits, saying “we’ve seen a lot of changes,” including “the fact that it is so modernized now.”

“When you go over there, and you hear the radio, and … people are talking,” Rodman said. “They’re so happy now, because it’s more like … it’s civilized again.”

Rodman, who calls North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un a friend, said, “people don’t see … the good side about that country. It’s like going, like, to Asia. It’s like going to like Istanbul, Turkey, or any place like that. It’s pretty much just like that. You’re know, you going to see some poverty. You’re going to see some people that’s not doing too well.”

“I think people don’t see him as … a friendly guy,” Rodman added of the country’s dictator, adding “if you actually talk to him” you would see a different side of him.

“We sing karaoke,” Rodman added of his relationship with Jong-Un. “It’s all fun. Ride horses, everything.”

“It’s the politics that’s the bad thing. If we can try to figure something out, just open the door,” Rodman suggested, saying that he believes “if Donald Trump had a chance,” he would fly to North Korea “and try to make peace.”  [Good Morning America]

You can read the rest at the link, but I have to wonder if Rodman actually believes what he says or he is just saying what he has to in order to maintain access to North Korea?

Is Dennis Rodman the Unofficial US Diplomat to North Korea?

| June 14, 2017

Here is the latest on Dennis Rodman’s trip to North Korea:

The former N.B.A. star Dennis Rodman at Beijing International Airport on Tuesday. Mr. Rodman first visited North Korea in February 2013.

Mr. Rodman declined to say whether he had spoken about the trip with Mr. Trump, who four years ago endorsed Mr. Rodman’s visiting North Korea.

“Well, I’m pretty sure he’s pretty much happy with the fact that I’m over here trying to accomplish something that we both need,” Mr. Rodman said, as reported by The A.P.

Mr. Trump spoke to Fox News in 2013 about Mr. Rodman and North Korea, a year in which Mr. Rodman also appeared on his “Celebrity Apprentice” show. “Maybe Dennis is a lot better than what we have,” he said.

Suzanne DiMaggio, a director and senior fellow at the New America think tank who had been involved in unofficial talks with North Korea, said on Twitter that there was a “high probability” of communication between the Trump administration and Mr. Rodman.  [New York Times]

You can read more at the link, but the media’s interpretation of President Trump’s comments four years ago about Rodman’s trip to North Korea I think are not interpreted correctly.  Trump was clearly taking a shot at President Obama by claiming that Rodman was a better diplomat than what the State Department had to offer.  To link those comments to Trump than actually using Rodman in a diplomatic role I think is a stretch.

This latest Rodman trip I think was arranged by the Kim regime to take media attention away from their treatment of American detainee Otto Warmbier who they just happened to release the same time as Rodman’s visit.

Did Dennis Rodman’s Trip to North Korea Make Him A Felon?

| March 2, 2015

It wasn’t so much the trip, but the gifts Rodman gave to Kim Jong-un that violated UN sanctions:

rodman meme

The first question this raises is what those appropriate measures were. The use of passive voice conceals whether the feds took any measures at all.

The second question is why there should be a “lack of information” from Rodman, when the Commerce and Treasury Departments have subpoena powers and an obligation to cooperate with U.N. authorities enforcing North Korea sanctions. The law applies to superpowers and celebrities, too.

There is video evidence of Rodman personally giving Kim Jong Un banned luxury gifts in violation of Commerce Department regulations and Executive Order 13551. I previously explained here why that’s a felony, and there’s no question that at least some of the goods presented are listed on Supplement 1 and were luxury goods.  [One Free Korea]

You can read more at the link.