Trump-Kim summit: White House bans several US journalists from covering president's dinner with North Korean dictator

US president accused of following Kim Jong-un's lead in punishing reporters

The White House has barred all but one print reporter from covering Donald Trump's dinner with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam, citing "sensitivities over shouted questions".

It comes after the US president and Mr Kim were met with a number of shouted questions they failed to answer following their opening remarks at their summit in the capital Hanoi.

Jeff Mason, a White House correspondent for Reuters, said writers from Reuters, the Associated Press (AP) and Bloomberg were "excluded" from joining assembled media for the dinner that will set the stage for talks about North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons.

He noted that he and AP journalist Jon Lemire both asked questions when the two leaders shook hands.

CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported that the White House tried to remove all print reporters from the dinner.

"Print reporters were told summarily before the dinner that there would be no reporters allowed inside," said CNN news anchor Jim Sciutto, who is in Hanoi.

He added: "It was only after really outrage expressed by the reporters covering this trip that the White House relented and allowed just one reporter into that room."

Elie Stokols, an LA Times reporter in Hanoi, said photographers at the dinner refused to take photos if no reporters were allowed in, forcing the White House to allow a print and radio journalist in the room.

In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: "Due to the sensitive nature of the meetings we have limited the pool for the dinner to a smaller group, but ensured that representation of photographers, TV, radio and print poolers are all in the room.

"We are continuing to negotiate aspects of this historic summit and will always work to make sure the US media has as much access as possible."

Some journalists compared Mr Trump's team's behaviour to that of Barack Obama in 2016, when he forced Cuba's Raul Castro to take questions from the press in Havana's Revolutionary Palace.

"In Havana in 2016, Obama aides goaded Raul Castro into a press conference, where Obama made point of forcing him to answer reporters’ questions," tweeted Edward-Isaac Dovere, a former White House reporter.

"In Hanoi today, Trump followed Kim’s lead in not having reporters ask questions at all, punishes those who tried anyway."

Before heading to dinner together, Mr Kim and Mr Trump shook hands and smiled briefly in front of a row of their national flags at the Metropole hotel.

Mr Trump told reporters he thought the talks would be very successful, and asked if he was "walking back" on denuclearisation, said "no".

At their historic first summit in Singapore last June, Mr Trump and Mr Kim pledged to work towards denuclearisation and permanent peace on the Korean peninsula but little progress has been made.

Mr Kim said they had overcome obstacles to hold their second summit and praised Mr Trump for his "courageous decision" to begin a dialogue.

"Now that we're meeting here again like this, I'm confident that there will be an excellent outcome that everyone welcomes, and I'll do my best to make it happen," Mr Kim said.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim held a 20-minute, one-on-one chat before sitting down to dinner with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, Mr Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Mr Kim's top envoy, Kim Yong Chol, and North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho.

On Thursday, the two leaders will hold a series of meetings, the White House said. The venue has not been announced.

Additional reporting by Reuters