Feb 23, 2017

5 times Spicer made news at today's White House briefing

Alayna Treene

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

On a day where most media attention is focused on CPAC, Secretary Kelly and Secretary Tillerson's trip to Mexico, and Kellyanne Conway's return to the spotlight; Spicer gave an under-the-radar especially newsy press briefing. The 5 hot issues are below the jump:

  1. Deportations: Pres. Trump was using "military operation" as an adjective to describe deportation efforts: "It's happening with precision."
  2. Nukes: Trump meant that the U.S. has "supreme" power, and he wanted to ensure that other nations understand our dominance, said Spicer.
  3. Marijuana: Spicer split the difference between medical and recreational marijuana, saying the president understands that some people need it for health purposes, and the states are given power to regulate its usage. "There's a big difference between the medical use, and recreational use." Spicer said, "which I think the DOJ will be looking further into."
  4. Travel ban: Trump's new travel ban is now finalized, and the administration is in the "execution phase" of implementing it. When asked about the order's delay, Spicer said there isn't a question about delaying the law, the priority is getting it right. He added that the administration "continues to believe that we will prevail in the 9th Circuit."
  5. Transgender bathrooms: "When the president was informed that Caitlyn Jenner [was in Trump Tower, he said, 'That's great.'" The president is "very sympathetic" with children who deal with that, but the bottom line is that "this is a states' rights issue, not a federal issue."

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