President Donald Trump expressed his condolences Tuesday on the passing of veteran journalist Cokie Roberts but also told reporters aboard Air Force One that "she never treated me nicely."
"I never met her," Trump said of Roberts, 75, who worked at CBS, ABC and NPR in a career spanning more than 40 years, as he was heading to fund-raisers in California. "She never treated me nicely.
"But I would like to wish her family well," the president added, CNN reports. "She was a professional, and I respect professionals."
Roberts died of "complications from breast cancer," her family said in a statement. HHer career began in local journalism in New York before moving on to NBC, CBS and then NPR, covering Congress and the Panama Canal Treaty.
On ABC, she co-anchored "This Week" with Sam Donaldson and was the network's chief congressional analyst before rejoining NPR as a political commentator.
Roberts also worked for PBS and wrote eight books, many of which were best-sellers.
"I respect you guys a lot, you people a lot," Trump told reporters. "She was a real professional.
"Never treated me well, but I certainly respect her as a professional."
Other tributes came in from former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as from former Vice President and 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden.