Why Donald Trump Had To Explain His 'Little Rocket Man' Nickname To Kim Jong Un? Here's What Mike Pompeo Says

Donald Trump took it upon himself to explain to Kim Jong Un the meaning of the nickname "Little Rocket Man" the former U.S. president he had given to the North Korean dictator.

What Happened: Former Secretary of State and CIA director Mike Pompeo, in his new book, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love,” wrote that Trump asked Kim over lunch at the Singapore summit in 2018 whether he knew who Elton John was. 

When the North Korean leader said “no,” Trump explained that the British singer’s 1972 hit song “Rocket Man” inspired him to give his counterpart the nickname in 2017.

See Also: Trump Says Kim Jong Un ‘Fell In Love’ With Him, Likening His Relationship With JD Vance To One With North Korean Leader

“Trump said it was a great song, and he intended the reference as a compliment,” Pompeo wrote.

To which Kim and others at lunch laughed, and the dictator replied, saying, “‘Rocket man,’ OK. ‘Little,’ not OK.”

Trump first publicly referred to Kim as “Little Rocket Man” on Twitter in 2017. He later repeated the same at a U.N. General Assembly speech and throughout his time in the top U.S. office.

Earlier this month, The New York Times journalist Michael Schmidt, in his book, wrote Trump, during his tenure in the White House, reportedly wanted to strike North Korea and blame the attack on another country.

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