President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin for historic talks on U.S. soil on Friday. However, in the pre-press conference coverage on CNN, veteran anchor Jake Tapper’s mind seemed to be elsewhere.
Speaking live from Anchorage, Alaska, where the meeting between the two world leaders took place, Tapper could be heard having a testy exchange with a producer just as fellow anchor Anderson Cooper ceded the spotlight to his colleague.
“I’m fine,” Tapper can be heard saying with what seems to be some exasperation. “Just give me my show back.”
Cooper, smiling at the unexpected moment, prompts his colleague with a wry nudge: “Your show’s back!”
A somewhat flustered Tapper then introduced California Senator Adam Schiff for commentary on the planned press conference. As the slip occurred, laughter could be heard in the background at the CNN studio.
The news network was facing technical difficulties throughout their broadcast, with Tapper later losing connection with Schiff.
“We’re having real comms problems today,” Tapper said a the end of his interview with the senator. “I’m sorry about that. If anybody can hear me, let’s go throw it back to New York.”
Both Tapper and Cooper have a reputation for being outspoken and forthright in their work. Tapper last month lashed out at Trump for his criticism of CNN, saying it’s not the journalist’s job to “protect his feelings.”
Cooper, for his part, was forced to make an apology in February after telling former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu not to “be a d***.″
Though both Trump and Putin claimed they made progress in their talks about the ongoing war in Ukraine, they shared virtually no details of what was discussed. During the press conference, Trump noted that “many points were agreed to” in their meeting but that there “are just a very few that are left.” The president noted that both sides want to see an end to the bloodshed.
Putin said he agreed with Trump over the need for security in Ukraine and that the pair have reached an agreement that will “pave the path toward peace.”
In his closing remarks, Trump told Putin that he would likely speak with him again soon and Putin, in English, said “next time in Moscow.”
“Oh, that’s an interesting one,” Trump replied. “I’ll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening.”
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