Trump appears at Texas rally with former NBA star Dennis Rodman

‌US ​President Donald Trump has talked a lot about wanting to meet Kim Jong Un again but so far his entreaties to the North Korean leader have gone unanswered. Can former ‌NBA star Dennis Rodman help prompt a rebound in their relationship? Rodman was in Trump's entourage on Thursday as the president spoke at a truck factory in Denton, Texas, before heading to a campaign rally in Durant, Oklahoma. No reason was given for Rodman's ‌presence, but he has a local connection through his days playing college basketball in Durant.

The inclusion of Rodman in ‌Trump's traveling party comes as the president tries to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Kim, and Rodman is known to be friendly with the head of the nuclear-armed nation. “When I wanted to get to know Kim Jong Un when we're having a problem — Kim Jong Un and I get ⁠along — but ​the one who knew him best ⁠was Dennis Rodman,” Trump told workers at the Peterbilt factory in Denton.

Nearby sat Rodman on the back of a semi-truck. The basketball hall-of-famer wore a ⁠black Chicago Bulls hat, studded black jeans, and a shirt depicting himself lifting a trophy. As Rodman subsequently hopped into the presidential motorcade for ​the ride north to Oklahoma, he told Reuters that he hoped to speak with Trump about “life.”

Asked if he ⁠was going to North Korea any time soon, the basketball legend responded: “If you buy the ticket.” In his first term, Trump had three high-profile meetings with Kim, ⁠including ​a visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone, but has not staged a similar event since returning to the presidency.

Trump has called Kim a friend that he can work with, despite North Korea's belligerent rhetoric and embrace of nuclear arms. The ⁠president is scheduled to attend the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum next month in China, and could theoretically add a meeting ⁠with Kim as part ⁠of that trip.

"He likes Trump, doesn't like a lot of other people," Trump told reporters on Tuesday at the White House. "I'm about the only person in the entire world that he ‌likes, and I ‌like him."