As he heads to Europe on a week-long trip that will culminate in a meeting with Vladimir Putin, President Trump was asked point-blank how he views the Russian president who attacked America during the 2016 U.S. elections.

Trump's response does not engender confidence in what he himself calls "America first."

Bloomberg News' White House Correspondent Jennifer Jacobs tweeted this photo and the text of the exchange as Trump prepared to leave D.C.

Trump refuses to label Putin a foe, an adversary, an enemy, despite his past and current attacks on the U.S. electoral system.