Dennis Rodman believes he deserves some credit for brokering peace between North Korea and the United States if a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un actually happens.
The Hall of Famer told TMZ that he probably helped Kim understand Trump a little bit better when he gifted Kim Trump's "Art of the Deal" for his birthday in 2017.
Per TMZ:
“I think that his impression about Donald Trump and the American people, I think he’s had a change of heart. I think when I went over the last time for his birthday, I gave him one of Donald Trump’s books. I do a lot of things with Donald Trump, and stuff like that, and I think people know that. I think you have the video of me giving him books and telling him about Donald Trump and about Americans, I think he didn’t realize who Donald Trump was at that time, I guess, until he started to read the book and started to get to understand him, stuff like that.
“I don’t want to take all the credit. I don’t want to sit there and say, ‘I did this, I did that.’ That’s not my intention. My intention was to go over and be a sports ambassador to North Korea so people understand how the people are in North Korea. I think that has resonated to this whole point now.
“And Donald Trump, I don’t ask Donald Trump for anything. I like Donald Trump. He’s a good friend and I’ve always asked him to talk to me because the people of North Korea and the government over there asked me to talk to Donald Trump about what they want and how we could solve things."
Rodman has been attempting to end hostilities between the two countries since he first visited North Korea in 2013, when he visited with a Vice correspondent to host basketball exhibitions. Rodman later told Sports Illustrated, "If I don’t finish in the top three for the next Nobel Peace Prize, something’s seriously wrong."
He has returned to North Korea on multiple occasions since, including once in Dec. 2013 to train the national basketball team. The U.S. exhibition squad included former players Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, Vin Baker, Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Sleepy Floyd and Charles D. Smith.
It's not clear where Trump stands on peace talks with North Korea, or even on his relationship with Rodman. In 2014, he refuted Rodman's claim that he talked to the NBA star about the trip and said it would be good for him.
Crazy Dennis Rodman is saying I wanted to go to North Korea with him. Never discussed, no interest, last place on Earth I want to go to.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2014
Even after he was elected president, Trump remained on the offensive with his words and often referred to Kim as "little rocket man." Trump has since tempered his tone towards North Korea.
The White House has not yet announced an official date or location for the proposed summit, but it follows last week’s first-ever meeting between Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-In.