Trump Made An... Interesting Comment About His Relationship With Dictators

It's no secret that President Donald Trump isn't exactly the biggest fan of the media. In addition to frequent tweet storms berating the "fake news," the POTUS has been known to butt heads with reporters at various news conferences — and such was the case during a press conference in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday, June 29. In response to a question from CNN's Jim Costa, the president didn't mince words when it came to his feelings about the media — and Trump's comment about his relationship with dictators at the G20 Summit will make you do a double-take.

It's been a busy couple of days for Trump, who became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea on Sunday, June 30, after he met with Kim Jong-un to discuss denuclearization. After exchanging handshakes and speaking for an hour in the heavily-fortified area, the president took to Twitter to call the gathering "a wonderful meeting."

Shortly after the talk, Trump wrote on Twitter, "Stood on the soil of North Korea, an important statement for all, and a great honor!" He confirmed that the two leaders had agreed to resume stalled talks on peace and denuclearization in the area after the meeting, and that he'd invited Kim Jong-un to visit the United States.

Just one day earlier, the president opened up about his planned meeting with the North Korean leader, telling journalists at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, that he had high hopes for the talk while making a not-so-subtle dig at the media.

During the press conference, CNN reporter Jim Costa appeared to allude to the president's controversial meetings with Russian president Putin and a previous talk with Kim Jong-un when he asked Trump, "What is it with your coziness with some of the dictators and autocrats at these summits?"

Directing his response to the room full of reporters at the summit, Trump responded, "I get along with everybody, except you people."

"I get along with President [Vladimir] Putin, I get along with Mohammed [bin Salman] from Saudi Arabia," he continued, referencing the Russian leader as well as the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince.

In addition to calling Mohammed bin Salman a "friend" at the summit, the president also revealed that he had high hopes for his meeting with the North Korean authoritarian leader the next day.

"We understand each other," Trump said during the summit. "I think he understands me and I think I maybe understand him. Sometimes that can lead to very good things."

Trump's troubling comments come after he joked to Putin that he wants to "get rid of journalists" on Thursday, June 27, according to multiple news outlets. Elite Daily reached out to the White House for confirmation and comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.

"Fake news is a great term, isn't it? You don't have this problem in Russia, but we do," Trump reportedly said to the Russian leader, to which Putin apparently responded, "We also have. It's the same."

Needless to say, joking that you have a better relationship with the world's dictators than the media is not exactly a good look for the president of the United States, but Trump is not exactly one to let popular opinion influence his actions. In the meantime, only time will tell whether or not he and Kim Jong-un foster enough of a relationship to meet again and carry out their denuclearization plans in the region.