'Why are you scared of diversity in the news?': German reporter confronts Trump with pointed question on media

A German reporter asked President Donald Trump on Friday why he is so "scared of diversity in the news," referencing the president's repeated attempts to delegitimize well-established media organizations by referring to them as "fake news."

"Mr. President, 'America First' - don't you think this is going to weaken the European Union," the reporter first asked, referring to Trump's campaign-trail slogan.

She then added: "And why are you scared of diversity in the news and in the media? That you speak so often of fake news."

Trump took issue with the first prong of the reporter's question, insisting he is in favor of free trade.

"I'm not an isolationist, I'm a free trader," he said. "But I'm also a fair trader. And our free trade has led to a lot of bad things happening."

The president concluded his remarks suggesting the reporter had been reading "fake news" herself.

"I am not an isolationist by any stretch of the imagination," Trump said. "So I don't know what newspaper you're reading, but I guess that would be another example, as you say, of 'fake news.'"

The comments came during a brief joint-press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.