Trump praises Pompeo for his outburst at NPR's Mary Louise Kelly: 'I think you did a good job on her, actually'

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• After a speech Tuesday, President Donald Trump praised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his treatment of NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly.

• Kelly said Pompeo lashed out at her following an interview she conducted with him, swearing at her and demanding she locate Ukraine on an unmarked map.

• "I think you did a good job on her, actually," the president said to Pompeo. "That's good, thank you, Mike, great."

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his reported mistreatment of veteran NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly after she interviewed him for "All Things Considered."

After introducing his new Middle East peace plan, the president mentioned the secretary of state to a round of applause from the audience.

"I just appreciate all the hard work you put in and so many of your other friends," Trump said. "And of course our great Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"Woah," the president added in response to the cheers. "That's impressive. That was very impressive. That reporter couldn't have done too good a good job on you yesterday, eh? I think you did a good job on her, actually. That's good, thank you, Mike, great."

Then the president asked Pompeo if he was planning to run for Senate.

"I guess the answer is no after that," the president said. "They all want him to," he added.

As Insider previously reported, Kelly said Pompeo had lashed out at her following an interview she conducted NPR's "All Things Considered." Kelly sayd Pompeo cursed at her and demanded that she locate Ukraine on an unmarked map.

"I was taken to the Secretary's private living room where he was waiting and where he shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself," Kelly said. "He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine."

"He asked, 'Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?'" she added. "He used the F-word in that sentence and many others."

In a response issued Sunday, Pompeo accused Kelly of lying to him twice and claimed their post-interview talk was off-the-record. Notably, he did not dispute any details Kelly's account.

"It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency," Pompeo said. "This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this administration."

Trump's praise of Pompeo is the latest example of the president's history in criticizing journalists.

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