Much controversy has already come out of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s and US President Donald Trump’s joint press-meet at the White House on Tuesday regarding whether – or not – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought Trump’s intervention in resolving the Kashmir problem.

In another strange comment, the US President asked a reporter if he was from Pakistan.

Responding to the reporter’s assent, he said, “I want a couple of Pakistani reporters. I like them much better than our [US] reporters.”

The two leaders also appeared to discuss who was more vilified by the presses of their respective countries. Refuting a reporter’s allegations that Pakistan had curtailed free journalism, Khan said, “Pakistan has one of the freest presses in the world... The criticism I’ve received from my own press is unprecedented. To say there are curbs on the Pakistan press is a joke.”

In response to this, Trump interjected, “Wait a minute. There’s no way you’re treated worse than I am.”

The US President has for long had a fraught relationship with the liberal press in his country – he has called organisations including the Washington Post and New York Times “fake” and “dishonest” in the past. In August last year, the President also accused Google of promoting negative articles on him over what he considered fair and unbiased reporting.