US President Donald Trump "cut off" a Washington Post reporter who said that Russia's strikes against Ukraine show Russian leader Vladimir Putin's disrespect for the US president.
The American leader spoke to journalists on board the presidential plane on its way back from Florida to Washington.
"Does he disrespect me?!" - Trump reacted and asked which publication the journalist who asked the question worked for. When the reporter replied that he represented The Washington Post, Trump said the publication had "lost a lot of credibility."
Trump had previously told Fox News that he "gets along well with Putin," despite taking a tough stance on Russia.
The tariffs imposed by the US administration on foreign goods will make the US "rich again," Trump said.
"I think the tariffs will be the greatest thing we've ever done as a country. It will make our country rich again," the president said.
The US leader declined to say whether he thought the tariffs imposed by his administration would lead to a recession in the US this year. Reporters asked him if he was concerned about a potential recession because he seemed “a little hesitant” when answering the question during another interview.
“I'll tell you, of course, you can doubt it. Who knows if there will be a recession? All I know is this: we will get hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs and we will be so rich that you will not know when to spend all this money. We will have jobs. We will have factories opening. Everything will be wonderful“, the head of state concluded.
Trump admits to holding a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Yes, we will meet at some point. I have a very good relationship with the president of China,” Trump replied.
He was also asked if a deal to sell the social network TikTok could be expected soon. “Maybe. We are dealing with four different groups and a lot of people want to buy TikTok and it is up to me to decide.“
Trump said he was not at all concerned about the Maritime Security Belt 2025 exercises, which involve the navies of Russia, Iran and China.
“No, not at all“, the head of state replied.
When asked to explain his answer, he said: “Because we are stronger than all of them. I rebuilt the American military. Unfortunately, Biden did nothing about it, but I rebuilt the military.“
The international naval exercises “Maritime Security Belt – 2025“, organized by the Iranian side, are being held for the seventh time. They were first held in the Arabian Sea in 2018. Ships from the Russian, Iranian and Chinese navies regularly participate in the exercises. In 2025, about 15 ships, auxiliary ships and combat boats, as well as helicopters of naval aviation, will participate. The goals of the exercises are to ensure maritime security, combat piracy and terrorism at sea, and protect maritime communications.
The US administration is considering the possibility of introducing additional tariffs on Russian products and tightening sanctions against Russia, Trump also said.
He was asked what restrictions or tariffs Washington could impose on Moscow and when this could happen. “We are considering many aspects in this regard“, the head of state replied.