When kids take over the White House press briefing
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders treated the reporters at Thursday's press briefing like children. Because they were -- it was Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House.
Posted — Updated"It's great to see so many of you filling in for your parents today," Sanders said to the crowd gathered.
They raised their hands, while their small legs dangling off the blue chairs. They squirmed and stood up and down and waved wildly to catch the press secretary's attention. They asked about the President's favorite candy (pink and red Starburst), his favorite animal ("probably an elephant").
All the while, their parents stood on the sidelines (no seats for the grown-ups) during the event that served as the daily briefing.
And some of the kids did their homework, peppering Sanders with tough questions: "How can you make our schools better?" "Does the President still trust Ronny Jackson?"
Sanders, a mother of three small children herself, adjusted her vocabulary and tone to her audience, making announcements, answering questions and sometimes asking the budding correspondents to please speak up.
"Why did our country bomb another country?" one child asked.
"Man, this is a tough crowd," Sanders said, laughing.
"I made that one up by myself," the child responded, clearly pleased.
"The President wanted to make sure some of the people in the world that weren't being very nice to other people and did some really bad stuff, that we make sure that they knew that wasn't OK. And so sometimes, we have to take action like that to deter -- which means prevent -- other countries from doing bad stuff," Sanders said.
Asked why the President fired James Comey, Sanders said the former FBI director "did some things that weren't really very nice and probably not right for the top law enforcement agency."
She called on her own 5-year-old daughter, Scarlett, who wore an oversized bright green hair bow perfectly coordinated to her mama's dress, and asked the President's favorite thing about his job.
Midway through the briefing, two tiny attendees co-opted the podium. Sanders' sons, Huck and George, climbed around at their mother's feet.
"I've got a couple of really good helpers," she said, lifting one into her arms and finishing her sentence.
Sanders even gave the young journalists a bit of news to report.
"Do you guys want to know something that nobody else knows yet?" she asked, announcing the President's upcoming working visit to the United Kingdom on July 13.
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