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Trump says media coverage of his North Korea summit 'almost treasonous'

Donald Trump has described media coverage of his summit with Kim Jong-un "almost treasonous" as he embarked on a customary tirade at his critics in a TV interview.

The president boasted that he was seen as a "world hero" in Japan because of the "wonderful agreement" he reached with the North Korean leader two weeks ago.

"It's a shame that the fake news covers it the way they do," Mr Trump told Mike Huckabee, the father of his press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and former governor of Arkansas.

"It's honestly, really, almost treasonous you wanna know the truth. If you listen to the mainstream media it's almost like I lost the negotiation. To hear the mainstream media - that was the thing that most angered me."

Mr Trump has previously tweeted that "our country's biggest enemy is the Fake News", as he attacked coverage of the summit by NBC and CNN.

Asked during the appearance on Huckabee's own show if he trusted Kim Jong-un, the president replied: "Yes, I think I've had a very good relationship, we have a very good chemistry, you know what that means. He's looking to do the right thing.

"Look at all the things we've had, there's been no missiles fired, there's been no rockets fired, Japan thinks I'm like a world hero over there."

The interview was aired on Saturday night, a day after Mr Trump officially declared North Korea still posed an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to justify continued sanctions.

It contradicted his earlier claims that "there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea".

US defence secretary Jim Mattis is expected to raise North Korean denuclearisation when he visits Beijing this week, as tensions rise over China's military presence in the South China Sea.

Mr Trump also used the interview to defend his policies on immigration, trade tariffs and moving the US embassy in Jerusalem as he again boasted of his achievements in office.

He claimed the immigration crisis was "the democrats' fault" as he insisted his opponents wanted "crime to pour in" to the country, adding: "We need safety at the border. We need the wall. The wall is going to happen."

His comments were echoed by Mike Huckabee, who was yesterday accused of racism after tweeting a picture of MS-13 gang members and joking they were part of the Democratic "campaign committee" to take back control of Congress.

Mr Trump also boasted that he had ignored the pleas of other world leaders not to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, adding: "It actually got to a point where I said, 'call me back in a week.'"

He then claimed that his tariffs on steel, solar panels and washing machines had already led to companies in the US expanding their production.

The interview concluded with Mr Trump announcing: "A lot of people are saying we've done more than any president ever in the first 500 days."