Elton John has praised Donald Trump’s “hilarious” use of John’s hit Rocket Man as a nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Trump has frequently used the nickname, including during a diplomatic crisis between the US and North Korea in 2017, saying in an address to the United Nations: “Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself.”
That frostiness thawed somewhat following meetings in 2018 and 2019, and according to Mike Pompeo’s 2022 memoir, Never Give an Inch, Trump ended up explaining the meaning of the nickname to Kim, who was not familiar with Elton John.
Speaking to Variety at the Toronto film festival over the weekend, John said of the nickname: “I laughed, I thought that was brilliant. 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. So, I mean, I’ve always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious. It made me laugh.”
Regarding Kim’s unfamiliarity with his work, John said: “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. But, I thought it was a light moment, and it was fun.”
Asked about the coming US presidential election, John did not endorse either candidate, saying: “It’s none of my business how [fans] vote … I just hope that people make the right decision to see what the future is going to be. Is it going to be fire and brimstone … or are we going to have a much calmer, a much safer place?
“I just want people to vote for things that are just, things that are important to people: the right to choose, the right to be who you are, and not let anybody else tell you who to be. And that goes all the way up to the supreme court.”
John, 77, was in Toronto for the premiere of the documentary film Elton John: Never Too Late, which will air on Disney+ from 13 December. It chronicles his music career as well as his personal life, with John saying in an emotional press conference on Friday: “On my tombstone, I don’t want it to say he sold a million records. I want it to say he was a great dad and great husband.”
He also alluded to the election at that press conference, but again did not side with Trump or Harris, saying: “Kindness will always win out … that’s what I hope for the American election in November.”
He added: “I’m having the best time of my life – except this fucking eye” – a reference to an infection that has left him with limited vision.
“I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he wrote in an Instagram post last week.
Following the premiere, the Guardian’s Radheyan Simonpillai gave a two-star review to Elton John: Never Too Late, calling it “a fussed over DVD extra … As a follow-up to Rocketman, a dazzling biopic capturing John’s spirit, Never Too Late comes off as mellow and informative – two words I find depressing when associated with Elton John.”
