President Donald Trump on Sunday accused the Wall Street Journal of misreporting statements he made to the newspaper about his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ripping the publication for reporting “fake news.”
In an article published on Thursday, the Journal reported that Trump signaled openness to diplomacy with North Korea, going so far as to say, “I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un.”
However, Trump disputed the Journal’s account, and accused the publication of intentionally misquoting him to generate a story. As tensions escalate between the U.S. and North Korea, the president and Kim Jong Un have traded personal insults, while Pyongyang has defied world opinion by continuing its missile tests.
On Saturday evening, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders posted an image with the president’s full quote in the Journal article and a correction from the White House, attacking the newspaper as “fake news.”
Hours after Sanders’ post, the Journal said it stood behind its reporting, and posted an excerpt from the audio recording on Twitter.
Minutes later, Sanders also posted a recording of the president’s comment.
Trump’s disputed comments on North Korea were part of a wide-ranging interview with the Journal that touched on a broad range of issues from his first year in office.
