Defense Secretary James Mattis split with President Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE on Sunday, saying he doesn’t “have any issues with the press.”

“I’ve had some rather contentious times with the press, but, no, the press, as far as I’m concerned, are a constituency that we deal with,” Mattis told reporters in Abu Dhabi, according to ABC News.

On Friday, Trump tweeted that the “fake news media” was "the enemy of the American people.”

And on Thursday, Trump repeatedly clashed with reporters and called their reporting "fake" during a contentious news conference.

Mattis on Sunday also pushed back on suggestions that disarray in the White House is negatively impacting the military.

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"We don't have any disarray inside the military, and that's where my responsibility lies,” Mattis said.

Mattis’s comments come after retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn resigned from his position as White House national security adviser last Monday, after serving less than a month in the position.