Donald Trump and his favorite CNN journalist, Jim Acosta, had an interesting back and forth while at the G-20 in Japan early on Saturday. They covered a variety of topics in quick succession, including Acosta's book, Trump's cozy relationship with Putin, the murder of Washington Post contributer Jamal Khashoggi, and why Trump refuses to believe every single report that has concluded that Mohammed Bin Salman was behind the horrific crime.
TRUMP: Not at all. I don't really care about offending people. I sort of thought you would know that. [laughter]
ACOSTA: Will you passed up an opportunity.
TRUMP: Congratulations. I understand your book, is a doing well?
ACOSTA: It is doing very well. I will get you an autographed copy.
TRUMP: I get along with everybody. except you people. [laughter] pres. i get along with a lot of people. i have a tremendous relationship with President Xi. Nobody else would have the deal that we have. We are getting tens of billions of dollars from China coming in. A lot of things are happening. We are moving along toward something that could be very historic. But I get along with President Putin. I get along with Mohammed from Saudi Arabia.
Look, I spoke to Saudi Arabia a year ago, when oil prices were getting very high, and I was not so nice, and I said "you've got to get more oil into the system because what is happening is no good" and they did and people are driving at very low numbers right now. In the old days, you would have spikes for the gasoline went to five dollars and more and it wasn't so good. But I also get along with people that would be perceived as being very nice.
You have a very -- lot of very nice leaders of countries. I was with Prime Minister May today. I was with so many. You take a look. The new head of Australia. Look at Japan. Prime Minister Abe. They are all fine as far as I'm some are stronger than others. .
ACOSTA: But if I may, Mr. President, on the case of Jamal Khashoggi, we have a lot of journalists in this room who object to what appears to be the Saudi government's complicity and perhaps orchestration of the assassination and dismembering of a journalist and when you were given the opportunity to call someone out on that, you did not do it. Did you do it privately? Do you agree that it is despicable for a government to kill a journalist?
TRUMP: Yes, I do. I think it is horrible. Or anybody else, by the way. I think it is horrible. If you look, you see what is happening in Saudi Arabia. 15 people are so have been prosecuted. Others are being prosecuted. They have taken it very seriously. They will continue to. I have let everybody know, I'm very unhappy about that whole event, but if you look at what is going on, and right now within Saudi Arabia, they are prosecuting additional people. There is a lot of things happening at the same time, I will also say -- and nobody so far has pointed directly at finger at the future king of Saudi Arabia.
Donald Trump, 0 days since being a national embarrassment. Jim Acosta, on the other hand, continues to be a national treasure.
