Elton John made it clear during a recent interview that he was not offended in the least when former President Donald Trump sampled one of his songs in devising a nickname for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un — in fact, he said that he found it “hilarious.”
The musician told Variety that while he was certainly not in agreement with many of Trump’s policies, he knew that the former president was a big fan of his music and had always been friendly with him.
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Elton John on his reaction to Donald Trump calling Kim Jong Un “Little Rocket Man”: “I laughed, I thought that was brilliant… I’ve always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious.” https://t.co/QXV9VqAtuT pic.twitter.com/MNhsNzFwlR
— Variety (@Variety) September 7, 2024
During an interview with Variety at the Toronto Film Festival, John was asked what he thought of the fact that Trump had borrowed from his song when he referred to the North Korean dictator as “Little Rocket Man.”
“I laughed, I thought that was brilliant,” John said with a smile. “I just thought, ‘Good on you, Donald.'”
“Donald’s always been a fan of mine, and he’s been to my concerts many, many times,” the singer continued. “So I’ve always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious.”
John had another laugh upon being informed that the North Korean dictator had not understood the moniker at first, prompting Trump to send him an autographed CD.
“Of course he hasn’t heard of me, Kim Jong Un. I’d be very surprised if he had. I’ve never toured North Korea, and I have no intention of doing so,” John added. “But, I thought it was a light moment, and it was fun.”