Donald Trump is in Vietnam right now for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. The White House press corps, of course, is with him. But not... too close to him, because once again they have been getting on the president’s nerves by doing their job.
On Wednesday, Trump and Kim had their first meeting, a glorified photo-op with another handshake and some flag waving. The press corps was present after that first meeting, and several reporters took the opportunity of being close to both Trump and Kim to, you know, do their jobs, tossing a few questions toward the two leaders about the dencluearization process in North Korea and the hanging specter of Michael Cohen’s testimony, details of which came out last night.
Trump and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not like that, and decided to bar several reporters from the press pool for Trump and Kim’s dinner meeting.
Sanders leaned on the “sensitive nature of the meetings” line, but it’s telling that Trump has zero problem with the meeting getting publicity — he loves that the photographers are going to be there!
Per several other reporters on scene, Trump actually wanted to ban all print reporters from the meeting, but caved after the press photographers refused to shoot the dinner without their writers in attendance.
Nice to know the summit with Kim Jong-Un is proceeding in a fair and egalitarian manner. I’m sure these two guys have a lot to talk about.