President Donald Trump said the Russia investigation "makes the country look very bad, and it puts the country in a very bad position." | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Trump: Mueller treating him 'fairly' but Russia probe makes U.S. look 'very bad'

President Donald Trump says he thinks he's being treated "fairly" by special counsel Robert Mueller.

But the president also suggested in an interview with The New York Times that he had absolute control over the Justice Department and that Mueller's probe should wrap up quickly because it is making the country look "very bad."


"There's been no collusion. But I think he's going to be fair," Trump said of Mueller during an interview with The Times on Thursday. The newspaper reported that Trump repeated that there had been "no collusion" with a foreign adversary 16 times during the interview.

While avoiding direct criticism of Mueller, Trump said the special counsel's probe was a distraction. The president also insisted that he had the "absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department. ... But for the purposes of hopefully thinking I'm going to be treated fairly, I've stayed uninvolved with this particular matter."

He added: "It makes the country look very bad, and it puts the country in a very bad position," he said. "So the sooner it's worked out, the better it is for the country."

Trump spoke with the Times at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, touching on a variety of topics, including the Russia investigation, the Alabama Senate race and North Korea.

When asked about Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore’s loss earlier this month to Democrat Doug Jones, Trump said he endorsed the scandal-stricken candidate because he has “to endorse Republicans as the head of the party.”

Trump had affirmed his endorsement of the former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice after The Washington Post reported allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore in November.

Trump also talked about reported oil shipments from China to North Korea, something he had tweeted about earlier on Thursday.

Caught RED HANDED - very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2017

Trump seemed to hint at the possibility of taking action against China with regards to trade, as the U.S. has sought the help of the country's leadership on North Korea and its nuclear weapons program.

“Oil is going into North Korea. That wasn’t my deal! If they don’t help us with North Korea, then I do what I’ve always said I want to do,” Trump said.