White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Tuesday asked reporter April Ryan to “stop talking” so she can answer her question and accused Ryan of “rudely” interrupting the briefing to shout questions about police violence.
As Sanders was trying to talk with another reporter, Ryan, of American Urban Radio, interrupted to ask several times if President Trump was aware of the real reason why NFL players were kneeling in some games.
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“Is the president aware that this is about police-involved shootings and not about disrespecting the flag?” Ryan asked a few times.
When Sanders started to answer, Ryan interrupted again, Sanders said, “I let you rudely interrupt me and your colleague,” Sanders said. “I’m going to ask that you allow me to finish my answer.”
“I would be happy to answer if you would stop talking long enough to let me do that,” she added.
“The president has made his position crystal clear on this topic,” Sanders continued. “He feels strongly that standing for our national anthem is something that we should do, something that matters to what makes our country special and unique, and what sets us apart. He’s not going to waver on that, he’s not going to apologize for it.”
Ryan wasn’t satisfied, prompting Sanders to move on to another reporter.
“April, I’ve addressed your question, I’m not going to continue to engage with you,” Sanders said.
“Will the president deal with the issue of police-involved shootings?” Ryan asked.
“I’m going to deal with the issue of addressing your colleague’s question,” Sanders said.
[Related: April Ryan left fuming over Sarah Sanders: ‘Why am I singled out?’]
