Rodman Gives Kim an Eclectic Bunch of Gifts

Dennis Rodman has delivered a message from President Trump to North Korea—sort of. On Thursday, the former NBA player gave the country's sports minister a copy of Trump's book The Art of the Deal, a present intended for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. It wasn't signed by Trump, who was Rodman's boss for two seasons of Celebrity Apprentice. Rodman has said his Pyongyang visit, which has so far been low-key, has nothing to do with the White House, the AP reports. He and his small entourage have been spending time hanging out with young North Korean basketball players and visiting local sights.

Along with the Trump book, other gifts Rodman presented for Kim Jong Un include a copy of Where's Waldo? The Totally Essential Travel Collection, a mermaid puzzle, two sets of soap and two autographed jerseys. The sports minister made clear Rodman is viewed fondly in Pyongyang. "In the past, our respected supreme leader met you several times and he used his precious time to watch the basketball match with the players you brought here. In the past he met you, so our people all know you well," Kim Il Guk told Rodman. "And also we feel that you are an old friend." Officials say Rodman had no role in the release of American student Otto Warmbier, who was in a coma when he arrived back in the US on Tuesday. (More Dennis Rodman stories.)