Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump says media coverage of his North Korea summit 'almost treasonous'

President boasts he is 'world hero in Japan' after meeting with Kim Jong-un

Peter Stubley
Sunday 24 June 2018 07:15 EDT
Comments
Trump says media coverage of his North Korea summit 'almost treasonous'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump has described media coverage of his summit with Kim Jong-un "almost treasonous" as he embarked on a customary tirade at his critics in a TV interview.

The president boasted that he was seen as a "world hero" in Japan because of the "wonderful agreement" he reached with the North Korean leader two weeks ago.

"It's a shame that the fake news covers it the way they do," Mr Trump told Mike Huckabee, the father of his press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and former governor of Arkansas.

"It's honestly, really, almost treasonous you wanna know the truth. If you listen to the mainstream media it's almost like I lost the negotiation. To hear the mainstream media - that was the thing that most angered me."

Mr Trump has previously tweeted that "our country's biggest enemy is the Fake News", as he attacked coverage of the summit by NBC and CNN.

Asked during the appearance on Huckabee's own show if he trusted Kim Jong-un, the president replied: "Yes, I think I've had a very good relationship, we have a very good chemistry, you know what that means. He's looking to do the right thing.

"Look at all the things we've had, there's been no missiles fired, there's been no rockets fired, Japan thinks I'm like a world hero over there."

The interview was aired on Saturday night, a day after Mr Trump officially declared North Korea still posed an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to justify continued sanctions.

It contradicted his earlier claims that "there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea".

US defence secretary Jim Mattis is expected to raise North Korean denuclearisation when he visits Beijing this week, as tensions rise over China's military presence in the South China Sea.

Mr Trump also used the interview to defend his policies on immigration, trade tariffs and moving the US embassy in Jerusalem as he again boasted of his achievements in office.

He claimed the immigration crisis was "the democrats' fault" as he insisted his opponents wanted "crime to pour in" to the country, adding: "We need safety at the border. We need the wall. The wall is going to happen."

His comments were echoed by Mike Huckabee, who was yesterday accused of racism after tweeting a picture of MS-13 gang members and joking they were part of the Democratic "campaign committee" to take back control of Congress.

Mr Trump also boasted that he had ignored the pleas of other world leaders not to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, adding: "It actually got to a point where I said, 'call me back in a week.'"

He then claimed that his tariffs on steel, solar panels and washing machines had already led to companies in the US expanding their production.

The interview concluded with Mr Trump announcing: "A lot of people are saying we've done more than any president ever in the first 500 days."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in