Trump ghoulishly jokes around with Putin about his hatred of the media

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
(Image credit: Mikhail Klimentyev / Getty Images)

President Trump on Friday joked around about his disdain for the media with Russian President Vladimir Putin, seeming almost jealous of Putin's relationship with the press.

"Get rid of them," Trump said after he and Putin spoke with reporters at the G-20 summit, Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs reports. "Fake news is a great term, isn't it? You don't have this problem in Russia, but we do."

Putin reportedly responded that "we also have" this "same" situation in Russia, where reporters have been detained or killed for doing their jobs. This came after Trump was asked if he'll tell Putin not to meddle in the next election, to which Trump smiled while telling the Russian president, "don't meddle in the election."

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"Journalists in Russia are subject to intimidation by the state, arrest and detainment, or worse," CNN reporter Rebecca Buck tweeted in response to Trump's comment. "Russia’s record on press freedom is abhorrent, and it’s not a joke. The president should know that." The New York Times' Maggie Haberman added, "It's funny because in [Russia] journalists are murdered, get it?"

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.