Donald Trump appeared to threaten a journalist with jail time after they took a photograph of a letter he said had been sent to him by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

During an interview earlier this week with reporters from Time magazine, the president showed them a letter from the North Korean, who he said had dispatched it to him recently. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders intervened when a photographer took a photograph of it.

The interview then continued, but appeared to become testy when the topic of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe was brought up.

“Excuse me,” Mr Trump said. “Under Section II — well, you can go to prison instead, because, if you use, if you use the photograph you took of the letter I gave you…confidentially, I didn’t give it to you to take photographs of it. So don’t play that game with me.”

The reporter then asked of Mr Trump: “Were you threatening me with prison time?”

Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Show all 10 1 /10 Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose for the media prior to talks in Vladivostok, Russia EPA Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose for the media prior to talks in Vladivostok, Russia AP Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Putin and Kim walk on campus of the Far Eastern Federal University prior to talks AFP/Getty Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Kim Jong Un presents Putin with a traditional Korean sword as a gift AP Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Putin and Kim Jong Un share a toast AP Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Putin and Kim prior to talks in Vladivostok Reuters Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Journalists watch a live as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks AP Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Putin and Kim prior to talks in Vladivostok AP Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Who did it better? Getty Kim-Putin summit: Leaders meet for first talks in Russia Putin earlier met with Kim Jong Un's father and former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2002 AP

The president replied: “Well, I told you the following. I told you you can look at this off-the-record. That doesn’t mean you take out your camera and start taking pictures of it. OK? So I hope you don’t have a picture of it.”

Kim Jong-un's security team dash to get into car in cavalcade

Mr Trump, who has a love-hate relationship with the media, which he has referred to as the “enemy of the people” despite loving the attention he gets, then complained about the magazine’s coverage of him.

“So go have fun with your story. Because I’m sure it will be the 28th horrible story I have in Time magazine,” he said. “It’s incredible. With all I’ve done and the success I’ve had, the way that Time magazine writes is absolutely incredible.”