Article snippet: He said it softly, and it seemed to be a joke. But John F. Kelly, the secretary of homeland security, probably did not intend for his quip suggesting President Trump use a sword “on the press” to be recorded such that the world could hear. The remark came on Wednesday after Mr. Trump gave a commencement address to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., in which he lauded the service before telling graduating cadets that no leader in history had been treated more unfairly by the news media. Mr. Trump then proceeded to shake numerous hands, before a representative of the Class of 2017 presented him with a sword as a token of their appreciation. “That is beautiful,” Mr. Trump can be heard saying on video recordings of the event. “Thank you, thank you very much.” Mr. Trump then posed for a picture of himself with the sword and the person who presented it to him, before handing it off, and sitting back down next to Mr. Kelly. “Use that on the press, sir,” Mr. Kelly said. “Yeah,” Mr. Trump replied, before chuckling. What might have been harmless banter on another day instead came during a tumultuous week for the White House that further strained its tense relationship with reporters. Just a day before, The New York Times reported that in a February meeting with James B. Comey, then the F.B.I. director, Mr. Trump said Mr. Comey should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information. The suggestion was swiftly denounced by some members o... Link to the full article to read more