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Trump silences CNN reporter asking about North Korea, military drills
🇧🇴 Bolivia /Conflict & Security

Trump silences CNN reporter asking about North Korea, military drills

From El Deber · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly silenced CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes during an exchange in the Oval Office.
  • Holmes was attempting to ask about Trump's recent contacts with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a decision to scale back U.S.-South Korea military drills.
  • Trump accused Holmes of making

President Donald Trump repeatedly silenced CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes on Monday, calling her "noisy" and "blustering" as she tried to question him about his recent interactions with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a decision to reduce the scale of U.S.-South Korea military drills.

The episode occurred during an exchange with journalists in the Oval Office, a setting where Trump has previously clashed with the press when faced with unwelcome questions. Holmes was seeking to understand why Kim had not publicly commented on Trump's announcement to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.

noisy

— Donald TrumpTrump interrupted Holmes as she posed her questions, calling her "noisy" and "blustering."

Trump interrupted Holmes as she posed her questions, accusing her of "fake news." Despite the interruptions, Holmes persisted. The president insisted that Kim had responded to his messages, describing the exchanges as "very positive," though he offered no specific details about their communications.

Trump reiterated his defense of reducing the military drills, stating it would make the Korean Peninsula "safer." He had announced the decision on social media the previous Sunday, arguing that the maneuvers sent an inappropriate message to North Korea, a country he described as "respectful" during his term. He added that Kim had always treated him with respect and that they understood each other well.

fake news

— Donald TrumpTrump interrupted Holmes as she posed her questions, accusing her of "fake news."

During his first term (2017-2021), Trump met Kim three times in an effort to broker a denuclearization agreement for the Korean Peninsula. Negotiations ultimately failed when the then-president deemed Pyongyang's proposal insufficient. North Korea subsequently strengthened its ties with Russia.

very positive

— Donald TrumpThe president insisted that Kim had responded to his messages, describing the exchanges as "very positive."

The renewed engagement comes amid tensions between Washington and Seoul. Trump claimed on Sunday, and reiterated on Monday, that South Korea had not supported the U.S. in its "denuclearization" efforts in Iran. He also accused the Biden administration of reducing the increase in South Korea's contribution to shared military spending.

When questioned about his policy potentially aligning him more closely with North Korea than with traditional allies, Trump responded that his strategy was making the Korean Peninsula safer.

safer

— Donald TrumpTrump reiterated his defense of reducing the military drills, stating it would make the Korean Peninsula "safer."
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Deber in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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