WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, holding an unscheduled gaggle in the final minutes of the flight as the plane neared landing.
Reporters had initially gathered earlier in the flight for a possible gaggle but were told to retake their seats. As the plane descended, a White House staffer suddenly entered the press cabin to announce Trump’s arrival.
“That’s a lot of people,” the president remarked with a half-smile as he entered.
Trump spoke for about 10 minutes, during which the plane may have circled to accommodate his remarks, according to a White House staffer.
At one point, Trump criticized The Washington Post, telling a reporter, “You’ve lost a lot of credibility.”
He did not respond when asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was disrespecting him by attacking Ukraine while he pursues peace efforts, but did respond to other questions regarding the war in Ukraine.
“We’re going to be looking at a lot of things. We have big meetings coming up, as you know, in Saudi Arabia, that’s going to include Russia, but Ukraine, we’ll see if we can get something done, like to get something done,” Trump said. “A lot of people died this week, as you know, in Ukraine, not only Ukrainians, but Russians. So I think everybody wants to see it get done. We’re going to make a lot of progress. I believe this week.”