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Trump Reportedly Sent Kim Jong-Un a 'Rocket Man' CD and We're All Doomed

For the sake of the world, let's hope he has a sense of humor.
Original photo via Evan Vucci/AP Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo headed to North Korea on Friday in an effort to hammer out some actual details to push the country toward nuclear disarmament. But according to a report from South Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo, that isn't Pompeo's only plan while he's over in the Hermit Kingdom. He's also there to deliver a gift to Kim Jong-un, courtesy of Trump—an Elton John CD, complete with the song "Rocket Man," autographed by Trump himself.

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For anyone who needs a refresher or has somehow successfully repressed all memory from the last few months, here's a quick recap. Earlier this year, back before Trump and Kim were shaking hands and spawning memes at the Singapore summit, the two leaders were mostly just trading barbs and slinging insults at each other on Twitter.

Trump started calling Kim "little rocket man" to poke fun at the guy's quest for nukes, and the North Korean dictator clapped back by calling Trump a "mentally deranged dotard." Yes, these are the grown men who hold the fate of the world in their little hands, and yes, it seems we are all pretty much doomed.

When the pair finally met at last June's summit, Trump reportedly brought up Elton John's 1972 hit song that inspired Kim's nickname, a source told Chosun Ilbo.

"The 'Rocket Man' CD was the subject of discussion during Trump’s lunch with Kim,” the source said. “Kim mentioned that Trump referred to him as 'Rocket Man' when tensions ran high last year. Trump then asked Kim if he knew the song and Kim said no."

Now, in some kind of bizarre attempt at diplomacy or humor or something, Trump has decided to give Pompeo a copy of the song to pass along during Friday's trip. And Trump even signed the CD, naturally, since the guy loves to slap his name on things. Along with the autographed album, Pompeo will reportedly also deliver a letter from Trump written to the Supreme Leader. It's unclear what the letter says, but hopefully, it's better than the pair's last snail mail correspondence.

According to NBC News, Pompeo would not confirm or deny that the Chosun Ilbo report was true when he landed in North Korea Friday. It remains to be seen whether Pompeo will be able to "fill in" the specifics of the disarmament deal during this trip, but if the report is real, at least we'll be able to finally find out if Kim has a sense of humor. For the sake of the world, let's hope he does.

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