Former NBA star Dennis Rodman to attend Singapore summit as Trump calls him 'delusional'
Former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman
Kim and Rodman have famously built a bizarre friendship, and the former basketball player brought the dictator a copy of 'The Art of the Deal' for his birthday last year
Former National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman said on Friday that he will be attending the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Singapore on June 12.
The basketball star took to Twitter and announced: "I will be flying to Singapore for the historical Summit. I'll give whatever support is needed to my friends, @realDonaldTrump and Marshall Kim Jong Un," Rodman said.
However, soon after, Trump rubbished the news in a Tweet posted on Friday in which he confirmed that it was not true, saying that Rodman was probably "drunk or on drugs."
He wrote: "Dennis Rodman was either drunk or on drugs (delusional) when he said I wanted to go to North Korea with him. Glad I fired him on Apprentice!"
Kim Jong-Un and Rodman have famously built a bizarre friendship, and the former basketball player brought the dictator a copy of 'The Art of the Deal' for his birthday last year.
Dennis Rodman, 56, made his first trip to North Korea in 2013 with Vice Media correspondent Ryan Duffy, to host basketball exhibitions.
He met Kim Jong-un there and later declared him "a friend for life." The statement came after three visits to Pyongyang that year after which he suggested President Barack Obama call the leader due to their shared love of basketball.
Since then he has made a few visits to the country - with the most recent being June 2017, taking the tally up to around five trips.
After that five-day visit in June 2017, Rodman told reporters: "I’m just trying to open the door."
This trip, like the last one, is sponsored by potcoin.com, the crypto-currency provider for the legal marijuana industry.
Rodman has faced ridicule and criticism for his trips to North Korea, which some US politicians and activists view as serving only as fodder for North Korean propaganda.
His earlier visits to North Korea included a basketball game that he organized, an event chronicled in the documentary film "Big Bang in Pyongyang," which featured Rodman singing "Happy Birthday" to Kim, as well as scenes of inebriated and erratic behavior by the basketball Hall of Famer.
Before Trump became president,Rodmanappeared twice on his "Celebrity Apprentice" show and praised the billionaire real estate developer on Twitter during the 2016 presidential campaign.