The President of the United States, Donald Trump, repeatedly silenced CNN's White House correspondent, Kristen Holmes, on Monday as she tried to ask him about his recent contacts with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, and the decision to scale back military exercises between Washington and Seoul.
Trump interrupted Holmes as she posed her questions and referred to her as "loud" and "boisterous," also accusing her of spreading "fake news". The journalist was trying to understand why Kim had not publicly responded to Trump's announcement of reducing the scale of joint military exercises with South Korea, as reported by Efe.
Despite Holmes' persistence, the president stated that Kim had indeed responded to the messages he had sent and that their exchanges are "very positive", although he did not provide details on the content of those communications.
Trump also reiterated his decision to reduce military exercises and claimed that he will make the Korean peninsula a "safer place."
The incident occurred during an exchange with journalists in the Oval Office, where Trump has previously engaged in confrontations with members of the press when questions are not to his liking.
On this occasion, the president directed his reproaches specifically at Holmes as she tried to obtain more details about his approach to Pyongyang.
Trump had announced on Sunday on social media that the Pentagon will scale back military exercises between the United States and South Korea because, in his opinion, these maneuvers send an inappropriate message to North Korea, a country he considered "respectful" during his terms.
The president reaffirmed this decision on Monday and stated that Kim has always "treated him with respect" and that they understand each other well.
Trump met with Kim three times during his first term (2017-2021) in an attempt to reach an agreement leading to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
The negotiations ended without an agreement after the former president deemed Pyongyang's proposal insufficient, which later strengthened its ties with Russia.
The new approach also comes amid tension between Washington and Seoul. Trump stated on Sunday and reiterated on Monday that South Korea refused to support the United States in its efforts to "denuclearize" Iran and accused the Joe Biden administration of reducing South Korea's contribution to shared military spending.
When asked about those who believe his policy is bringing him closer to North Korea than to traditional allies, Trump responded that his strategy makes the Korean peninsula a "safer place."