Trump tangles with reporter on Iran preemptive strike: 'Is that a serious question?'

"Well I can't tell you that. I mean, it's a wonderful question, but how can I - am I going to do preemptive strikes? Why would I say that?" the president-elect responded.

"Can you imagine if I said yes or no? You would say, 'That was strange that he answered that way.' Am I going to do preemptive strikes on Iran? Is that a serious question? How could I answer a question like that?" Trump continued. 

"How could I tell you a thing like that now?" Trump responded. "You don't talk about that before something may or may not happen. I don't want to insult you, I just think it's just not something that I would ever answer. Having to do with there or any other place in the world." 

"We're trying to help very strongly and getting the hostages back, as you know, with Israel and the Middle East," Trump added Monday. 

"We're working very much on that. We're trying to get the war stopped, that horrible, horrible war that's going on in Ukraine with Russia. We're going to, we've got a little progress. It's a tough one. It's a nasty one. It's nasty," he also said.