In the first White House press briefing in 42 days, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders refused to directly answer whether President Trump believes Democrats hates Jews, following an Axios report that Trump made that comment in a speech to RNC donors this weekend.
NBC's Hallie Jackson: "Yes or no, does the president truly believe that Democrats hate Jews?
Sarah Sanders: "I am not going to comment on a potentially leaked document."
Jackson: "Does he think Democrats hate Jewish people as he said on the South Lawn?"
Sanders: "The president has laid out clearly his position on this matter. Democrats have had a number of opportunities to condemn specific comments and have refused to do that."
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Jackson: "Does he really believe Democrats hate Jews? I'm just trying to get a sense of that."
Sanders: "I think that's a question you ought to ask the Democrats."
Other highlights:
- China: Sanders said Trump has not set a date for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago.
- Personnel: Sanders would not comment on whether Trump would be nominating acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to serve as the Pentagon’s secretary or whether acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney's role would become permanent. She also wouldn't comment on the White House's inquiry into Labor Secretary Alex Acosta's role in serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's sweetheart plea deal.
- Paul Manafort: Sanders said Trump would make a decision on whether to pardon former campaign chairman Paul Manafort "when he's ready."