President Trump on Tuesday said he has a copy of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” ready to give to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but that his team did not deliver it on a recent visit to Pyongyang.
“They didn’t give it. I have it for him. They didn’t give it. But it will be given at a different period,” Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a trip to Europe.
“I actually do have a little gift for him, but you’ll find out what that gift is when I give it,” Trump added.
{mosads}
The record has been the subject of rampant speculation as the U.S. and North Korea engage in tension-filled nuclear talks.
South Korean media had reported last week that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo handed a “Rocket Man” CD signed by Trump to Kim during his recent meeting with North Korean officials.
But State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the CD was not delivered.
Nauert did confirm that a letter from Trump to Kim had been delivered to North Korean officials during the meeting, which produced a blunt statement from Pyongyang slamming U.S. officials over what it said were calls for unilateral denuclearization.
Trump famously nicknamed Kim “Rocket Man” last year as nuclear tensions between the two nations ran high, even using the moniker during an address to the United Nations General Assembly.