Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was caught on a hot mic Wednesday telling President Donald Trump in jest that he should use a sword on the press.
The quip came during the United States Coast Guard commencement ceremony in New London, Connecticut, where the President delivered the keynote address. The Coast Guard Class of 2017 presented a ceremonial saber to Trump as a “token of our appreciation.”
Kelly then turned to the President as he sat down and said: “Use that on the press, sir.”
The President chuckled and responded: “Yeah, that’s right.”
During his speech, the President bemoaned his treatment by the press to the graduates.
“Look at the way I have been treated lately, especially by the media,” he said during the ceremony. “No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse and more unfairly. You can’t let them get you down, you can’t let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams.”