Dennis Rodman went to North Korea, had a blast, made a new friend, and thought he’d come back a diplomatic hero. That is until he had to face some tough policy and human rights questions on ABC’s The Week with George Stephanopoulos.
Dennis Rodman went to North Korea, had a blast, made a new friend, and thought he’d come back a diplomatic hero. That is until he had to face some tough policy and human rights questions on ABC’s The Week with George Stephanopoulos.
Following the weekend’s bizarre, bungled interview, Rodman was a no-show for NBC, ESPN and CNN.
The one-time NBA star with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls is likely hurting from the White House scolding as well. In his ABC interview, Rodman encourages Obama to call North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. After all, the young ruler “loves basketball. And I said the same thing, I said, ‘Obama loves basketball.’ Let’s start there.”
White House press secretary Jay Carney denounced Rodman’s trip and gives a thanks-but-not-thanks response to Rodman’s communication brokering. The White House, Carney says, has its own “direct channels of communications” with Pyongyang.
Rodman’s not the only party the White House is blaming: “Instead of spending money on celebrity sporting events to entertain the elites of that country, the North Korean regime should focus on the well-being of its own people who have been starved, imprisoned, and denied their human rights.”