Sara Boboltz at Huffington Post:
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared in their mutual scorn for the press as they sat surrounded by journalists at the G-20 summit in Osaka on Friday, the one-year anniversary of the Capital Gazette newsroom shooting that left five dead.
“Get rid of them,” Trump jokingly said of reporters. “We also have,” Putin replied. “It’s the same.”
Trump told reporters the day before that his conversations with the Russian president are “none of your business.”
In Russia, 38 journalists have been murdered since 1992, with 26 of those occurring in the years Putin served as president, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
It was a surreal moment that occurred one year to the day after a gunman opened fire in the Maryland paper’s newsroom, killing staffers Wendi Winters, Rebecca Smith, Robert Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman and John McNamara.
...
The G-20 summit marked Trump’s first formal meeting with Putin since last July’s controversial Helsinki meeting, and his first since special counsel Robert Mueller finished his report concluding that Russia had meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Asked whether he would discuss the interference problem with Putin, Trump smirked and wagged his finger at the Russian president, saying, “Don’t meddle in the election.”
Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both laughed.
Hard to decide what is most intimidating about TRUMP telling PUTIN not to meddle in 2020 (after being prompted by a reporter):— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) June 28, 2019
1) the smirk on his face when he says it.
2) the playful finger wag he adds at the end.
3) his lack of eye contact with Putin. pic.twitter.com/U7mK8aGIeZ
#Russia's state TV revels in the idea that Trump arrived early & had to stand around waiting for Putin, along with Ivanka, Kushner, Bolton and Pompeo. To make fun of Trump, they show an Internet meme that depicts Trump welcoming Putin with Russian karavai on an embroidered towel. pic.twitter.com/Ruef0h2H8l— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) June 28, 2019
