‘I Want to Thank the Media’: Trump Showers the Press With Praise for Its ‘Respect’ for Peace Deal

President Donald Trump took a moment to thank the media for its respectful reporting on the peace deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas while preparing to sign documents related to it on Monday.

“I want to thank the media for very — you’ve been so respectful on this deal. You know, the importance of the deal,” said Trump said with various world leaders gathered around him in Egypt.

“And I was really, it was so pleasant to watch. I was on the plane for quite a while listening to the various newscasts, and they were all fair. They were talking about how incredible this is. This is an incredible day for the world, let alone the Middle East. So I just wanted to thank the media. They really treated it with respect,” he said.

“I wish you could be like that on other things, but that’s perhaps too much to ask for,” added the president wistfully.

Still, he ended on a positive note: “But on this tremendous — everybody feels the same. Just tremendous respect, and we appreciate it very much.”

Earlier on Fox News, Trump singled out reporter Trey Yingst for his reporting over the past two years.

“I watched your coverage, and I really appreciate it. You are a real professional — not because it’s good or bad, you’re just really professional,” Trump told Yingst while still in Israel. “It would be great if other people could do what you do, because, you know, they put negative spin [in their news stories].”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend the summit in Egypt. The BBC reported that his presence “could have been awkward for some confirmed guests.”

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said Trump invited the Israeli prime minister to attend but that declined “due to the timing’s proximity to the beginning of [a Jewish] holiday.”

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.