US president Donald Trump has stepped to the microphone alone to take reporters’ questions – just the second time he has done so since taking office more than a year ago.
Speaking in Canada following the G7 meeting, he talked about his desire for countries to remove all barriers to the free flow of goods.
He also looked ahead to the next big meeting on his schedule – a summit in Singapore next week with North Korea’s leader.
.@G7 Press Briefing in Charlevoix, Canada, prior to departing for Singapore! https://t.co/75y1SXuwuU
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2018
Along the way, Mr Trump heavily criticised the US press.
When asked why he does this, the American leader said: “Because the US press is very dishonest. Much of it, not all of it.
“Oh, I have some folks in your profession that are with the US, in the US, citizens, proud citizens; they’re reporters. These are some of the most outstanding people I know. But there are many people in the press that are unbelievably dishonest.
“They don’t cover stories the way they’re supposed to be. They don’t even report them in many cases if they’re positive. So there’s tremendous – you know, I came up with the term ‘fake news’.
During an earlier point in the news conference, Mr Trump referred to a CNN producer’s “fake friends at CNN”.
Unlike with a more formal news conference, typically announced days in advance, the White House gave journalists travelling with Mr Trump little warning that he was coming to their workspace to make a statement and answer questions before leaving the G7 summit in Quebec to fly to Singapore.
He answered questions from just the small group, or “pool”, of reporters who travel with him, not the much larger universe of reporters who cover the White House on a daily basis and would attend a less hastily arranged question-and-answer session.
The president has also been more open to answering questions during brief appearances at the White House, such as at bill-signing ceremonies or meetings with legislators, or on the South Lawn when he leaves or returns from an out-of-town trip.
Mr Trump last appeared solo before reporters in February 2017, less than a month into his presidency.
It was a rollicking, quickly arranged, 77-minute free-for-all in the stately East Room of the White House during which he railed against the news media, defended his fired national security adviser and insisted that no-one who advised his campaign had had any contacts with Russia.
