Donald Trump made a joke about the free press to the leader of a country with no free press

Thousands of journalists descended on Singapore to cover the historical agreement between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un to denuclearise North Korea.

More than 2,500 foreign members of the press from all corners of the world visited the Asian country to write about the meeting.

The US president took that as an opportunity to joke about the free press. Naturally.

USA Today reported that while reporters and journalists shouted questions and took photographs a few minutes after the pair met, Trump told Kim:

The press, they never stop.

And later, according to CNN reporter Jim Acosta, who was at the hotel where the meeting occurred, Trump told Kim: “I’ll tell you when they’re out”, referring to the press in the room.

Independent watchdog organisation Freedom House, North Korea ranks as one of the worst in the world for press freedom.