President Donald Trump was the only world leader who didn't give a press conference after the G7 Summit on Saturday, The Hill reported.
Other G7 leaders from France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom held briefings for the press after the summit. Trump opted instead to speak at the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Italy, thanking the members of the U.S. military for their service ahead of Memorial Day.
National security adviser H.R. McMaster and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn held a briefing for the media. But reporters quickly became frustrated when the officials would not answer questions about reports Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner attempted to set up a private communication channel between the president's transition team and Russia, The Washington Post reported.
"We're not going to comment on Jared," Cohn said. "We're just not going to comment."
Cohn defended the lack of press briefings or direct interviews with reporters during Trump's first foreign trip abroad since taking office, citing the president's busy schedule.
"The president ... has been dealing with foreign leaders, he's been dealing with jobs, he's been dealing with economic growth, he's been dealing with diplomacy, he's been dealing with unfair trade, he's been dealing with Paris [climate agreement], he's been dealing with China," Cohn said, according to The Post. "His agenda has been overflowing. He's been fully consumed with what's going on here."
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