Dennis Rodman, 63, joined President Trump on the road Thursday as the former NBA star’s unlikely diplomatic cachet got fresh White House recognition.
The five-time champion, known for his “Bad Boy” Pistons tenure and Chicago Bulls dynasty years, traveled with Trump to Texas ahead of an evening rally in Denton, where the president toured a Peterbilt Motors facility. Rodman, towering over White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in sparkly black pants, Crocs and a self-portrait T-shirt, drew personal thanks from Trump for past help with North Korea.
“You know, when I wanted to get to know Kim Jong Un, when we were having a problem… the one who knew him best was Dennis Rodman, because they asked Dennis to come over to North Korea to work with their basketball team,” Trump said during his speech.
“Their basketball team wasn’t doing too well, right, Dennis? Dennis worked with him. I’m not sure that he was able to do much with that particular team. The only thing he would have helped if Dennis played on the team, right? But I want to thank Dennis Rodman. He’s a special guy.”
Trump had already greeted Rodman privately, an encounter posted to X by White House official Margo Martin. “This guy could rip those rebounds, huh? The best rebounder in the history of basketball!” the president said. “You know what, you look good too, Dennis.”
“My friend, my friend,” Rodman replied.
The former rebounding specialist also brought girlfriend Yella Yella, a rapper, into the presidential orbit. Trump, greeting her, asked, “What the hell are you doing with him for?”
The Texas stop carried extra resonance: Rodman attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University in nearby Durant, Oklahoma, in the mid-1980s, and Trump was scheduled to headline a rally there later Thursday.
Rodman’s North Korea connection runs deep. He traveled there at least five times between 2013 and 2017, calling Kim Jong Un a “friend for life.” The bond formed through basketball diplomacy — Rodman worked with North Korea’s national team — became a strange asset for Trump’s first-term outreach. The president met Kim three times, though Pyongyang has since cooled on further summits and warned that nuclear disarmament pressure would be pointless.
Trump, deflecting reporter questions Thursday about Rodman and North Korea, projected confidence. “We have a good relationship and you’re not going to have any problem — so long as I’m here, you’re not going to have any problems,” he said. “Somebody else comes, you could have some big problems.”
The trip’s timing was deliberate. A source close to Rodman told The Post ahead of travel that Trump intends to refocus on North Korea after midterm elections. “After the midterms, Trump wants to refocus again on North Korea and start talking about Kim Jong Un,” the source said. “Dennis believes he’s the ambassador of goodwill between North Korea and the United States. As Trump ponders what to do next, he’s been soliciting ideas and one of those key people he’s talking to is Dennis.”
Rodman’s record with Kim isn’t unblemished. The outlet journalist Josh Rogin noted Tuesday on X that a 2014 visit saw Rodman “got super drunk and allegedly defecated on the hotel room floor.”
Trump’s next rally was set for Durant, Oklahoma, following the Texas stop.