The Rodman Factor: Trump’s Historic Meeting with North Korea

After the Singapore summit between President Trump and North Korean Dictator
Kim Jong-un, CNN news (?) anchor Chris Cuomo
interviewed Dennis Rodman. Rodman had served as a de fact private
citizen-ambassador to North Korea five times. He developed a friendship with
the brutal Stalinist dictator, and that day he saw his efforts finally bearing
out a slow but steady détente. The celebrity sensation, both on and off the
basketball court, was sporting a MAGA hat, and was the ideal draw for a network
which can’t even make into the Top 25 ratings. 

Two things stood out from that interview, and it’s about more than
another step toward a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. About President Trump,
Rodman shared: "Trump would understand that the people of North Korea have
a heart, they have soul, charisma, and they love each other.” Then Rodman
commented that the previous President rebuffed Rodman’s interest in
de-escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula: “Obama did not give me the time
of day. He just brushed me off.” Rodman then broke down in tears, so moved to
see President Trump accomplish something which the player had believed could
happen, yet time and again faced rejection from previous leaders who refused to
do anything about it.

Think about it. The first black President didn’t listen to a black
celebrity sports player who had taken some steps toward peace in the Koreas. In
contrast, President Trump, who has been routinely vilified as a racist,
elitist, unfeeling tyrant, not only listened to Rodman, but took the necessary
steps to bring Kim Jong-un to the table. Trump is not just a political genius,
exploiting the corrupt media while driving the political establishment crazy.
He’s more than an engaged populist. He shows heart, he esteems the opinions of
other people. His particular regard to the concerns of black Americans, both
famous and common, deserve greater recognition.

During the Presidential election, Trump
told black voters in Dimondale, Michigan: You might as well vote for
me. What do you have to lose? He didn’t toss out this idea to suggest that
black voters should resign themselves to casting a ballot for someone else
besides a Democrat. He visited Flint, Michigan to address the water crisis. He
met with black church leaders in Detroit. He reached out to all types of voters
on a variety of issues. Black ministers and civil rights leaders came out for
the President, too.

Some critics will contend that Trump’s outreach to black communities is
surface-level. The local press mocked Trump when he pointed to one of his black
friends at a California rally, for example. On Election Day, the general turnout
was higher in key battleground states. In California, historically black
communities like
Inglewood, Compton, and even Oakland voted in higher numbers for
Trump than they had voted for Romney in 2012. Trump’s opposition to illegal
immigration and bad trade deals (with an emphasis on bringing back
manufacturing jobs) probably resonated strongly with black voters.

Once elected, his connection with black Americans, in the media and in
policy, expanded. He invited Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Great Faith Ministries
in Detroit to speak at his inauguration. He hosted a business roundtable with
black business leaders. These steps are credible and worth recognizing, but is
that enough? Trump’s policies have ensured that black voters have not only had
nothing to lose, but now they have gained so much. Black unemployment is at its
lowest ever on record. Read that again if you missed it, especially since the
media has no interest in reporting this Republican President’s effective
outreach and achievement for black Americans. Trump’s Secretary of Education,
Betsy DeVos, is pushing school choice, vouchers, and independent charters. She
has not been bullied by regressive leftists union forces or social justice
warriors on college campuses, either.

Recently, pop musician and social media mogul Kanye West came out for
Trump, sporting a
signed MAGA hat, followed by photos with his producers to show his
support for President. Kanye mentioned the “Dragon Energy” connection he shared
with Trump, too. The President’s favorable with black males doubled within one
week.

Then Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian-West visited the Oval Office. The
President’s meeting with the wife of Kanye was more than a shallow photo-op,
but a meaningful discussion about prison reform. Then
Kim West asked Trump to pardon Alice Marie Johnson, an Alabama
grandmother serving a life sentence for drug trafficking. Trump issued the
pardon for her. He also issued a posthumous pardon for black boxer Jack Johnson.
Despite the silent from the black political establishment, President Trump has
done incredible things for black Americans.

In light of these events, one has to wonder: Where was Obama? Why
didn’t he bother listening to these black Americans, let alone follow on their
suggestions? Trump connected with Kanye West. He took Rodman seriously enough
to listen and even congratulate Rodman on his efforts. Trump’s down-to-earth
regard for American citizens in general, and his growing rapport with pop icons
like Kanye, reflect on the broader political shift in this country. More Americans,
especially black Americans see a President who does have their back, who cares
about what they care about. He is even taking on the reforms which Democrats
paid lip-service to for decades (like prison reform, school choice, economic
growth, stopping illegal immigration) but did nothing once in office.

In the first line of his track “Ye vs. the People,” Kanye
raps: “I know Obama was heaven-sent, but ever since Trump won, it
proved that I could be President.” True leadership is about more than inspiring
awe; it’s about lifting others up, appreciating them for doing great things and
taking their advice. Trump’s summit with Kim Jong-un is historic, not just for
taking steps toward peace and prosperity, but also for the growing rapport
which Trump has developed with black Americans, both famous and commonplace.
Even CNN had to feature this slow transformation overtaking American politics
for the better.