President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE said pioneering journalist Cokie Roberts, who died Tuesday at the age of 75, “never treated me nicely” but praised her as “a professional."

“I never met her. She never treated me nicely. But I would like to wish her family well. She was a professional and I respect professionals. I respect you guys a lot, you people a lot. She was a real professional. Never treated me well, but I certainly respect her as a professional,” Trump told reporters on the flight from Albuquerque, N.M., to Mountain View, Calif., on Tuesday.

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Roberts’ death prompted an outpouring of support from media colleagues and political figures, including former presidents Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaDemocrats ramp up pressure on Lieberman to drop out of Georgia Senate race The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on Trump: 'He'll leave' l GOP laywers brush off Trump's election remarks l Obama's endorsements Trump pledges to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, designate KKK a terrorist group in pitch to Black voters MORE, who called her “a trailblazing figure [and] a role model to young women at a time when the profession was still dominated by men,” and George W. Bush, who called her “a talented, tough, and fair reporter.”

Roberts, the winner of three Emmys, a Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism and an Edward R. Murrow Award, co-anchored ABC’s “This Week” with Sam DonaldsonSamuel (Sam) Andrew DonaldsonMSNBC's Nicolle Wallace says she'll 'gladly' vote for Sanders Former colleague Brit Hume on Sam Donaldson's Bloomberg endorsement: 'Never thought I'd see this' Sam Donaldson pens op-ed endorsing Bloomberg for president MORE from 1996 to 2002 and served as NPR’s congressional correspondent for more than a decade beginning in 1978.

"Cokie's kindness, generosity, sharp intellect and thoughtful take on the big issues of the day made ABC a better place and all of us better journalists,” ABC News President James Goldston said in a statement Tuesday.

Brett Samuels contributed to this report.