Trump Praises Pompeo For 'Misogyny, Abusive Treatment' Of NPR Reporter [Watch]

President Donald Trump on Tuesday congratulated his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, for cursing and insulting National Public Radio (NPR) reporter Mary Louise Kelly after Pompeo failed to answer some tough questions related to Ukraine she was asking in a heated radio interview.

Trump's ire of the traditional news media was on full display at a White House event during which he mentioned Pompeo at one point. After the applause subsided, Trump commented:

"That's impressive. That was very impressive," Trump said which was welcomed with loud laughter. "That reporter couldn't have done a good job on you yesterday. I think you did a good job on her actually. Thank you, Mike."

Trump was obviously thanking Pompeo for calling Kelly a liar after the interview, and for later declaring the Kelly interview was "another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this administration."

Kelly interviewed Pompeo January 24 on the daily news show, "All Things Considered" on NPR, which she anchors. She and Pompeo spent the first minutes of the 11 minute-long interview talking about Iran.

Kelly then asked about ousted former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

"Do you owe Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch an apology?" asked Kelly abruptly.

Taken aback, Pompeo struggled with his reply but eventually said, "You know, I agreed to come on your show today to talk about Iran. That's what I intend to do. I know what our Ukraine policy has been now for three years of this administration. I'm proud of the work we've done. This administration delivered the capability for the Ukrainians to defend themselves. President Obama showed up MREs; we showed up with Javelin missiles. Previous administration did nothing to take down corruption in Ukraine. We're working hard on that. We're going to continue to do it."

To Pompeo's claim they would only talk about Iran, Kelly replied: "I confirmed with your staff last night that I would talk about Iran and Ukraine."

She then told Pompeo: "I just want to give you another opportunity to answer this because, as you know, people who work for you in your department, people who have resigned from this department under your leadership, saying you should stand up ...for the diplomats who work here."

To which Pompeo replied: "I don't know who these unnamed sources are you're referring to. I can tell you this. When I talk to [them]..."

"These are not unnamed sources," Kelly shot back. "This is your senior adviser Michael McKinley, a career foreign service officer with four decades experience who testified under oath that he resigned in part due to the failure of the State Department to offer support to foreign service employees caught up in the impeachment inquiry on Ukraine."

"Yeah. I'm not going to comment on things that Mr. McKinley may have said," said Pompeo. "I'll say only this -- I have defended every State Department official. We've built a great team. The team that works here..."

"Where have you defended Marie Yovanovitch?" asked Kelly.

"I've defended every single person on this team," claimed Pompeo. "I've done what's right for every single person on this team."

"Can you point me toward your remarks where you have defended Marie Yovanovitch?" asked Kelly.

An angry Pompeo at this point replied, "Mary, I've said all I'm going to say today. Thank you. Thanks for the repeated opportunity to do so. I appreciate that."

Kelly later related Pompeo called her to his private quarters without a recorder, and, in a "profanity-laced rant," rebuked her for asking questions regarding Ukraine during the interview.

"He shouted at me for about the same amount of time the interview had lasted ... He used the F-word in that sentence and many others," Kelly noted.

Many journalists have slammed Pompeo for his treatment of Kelly, and Trump for praising his secretary of state for what is deemed an "abusive treatment" of the reporter.

"Cheering on misogyny, cheering on the abusive treatment of the press ... I was the most senior press official during George W. Bush's White House, I would've been fired if I had treated any journalist the way America's secretary of state treated her," MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace shared.

"It shows the complete and total rot inside Donald Trump's cabinet."