The White House on Wednesday said President Trump was simply declining to answer questions during a Cabinet meeting when he appeared to say “no” to a reporter who asked if he thought Russia was still targeting the United States.
“The president said thank you very much and was saying no to answering questions,” press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters, hours after the exchange took place. “We believe that their threats still exist, which is why we are taking steps to prevent it. Again, you wouldn’t go through that lengthy process if you weren’t.”
Just asked @realDonaldTrump if he believes Russia is still targeting the US.
His answer: “Thank you very much. No”
This after his own Director of National Intelligence said the threat is still ongoing.— Cecilia Vega (@CeciliaVega) July 18, 2018
Trump, however, continued to speak to reporters in the room about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the moment in which Sanders claimed he indicated he was done taking questions.
“We’re doing very well, probably as well as anybody has ever done with Russia and there has been no president ever as tough as I have been on Russia,” Trump said, adding that Putin “knows that better than anyone.”
“He understands it and he’s not happy about it. He shouldn’t be happy about it because there’s never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been,” he added.
Sanders later said she was “interpreting” what Trump’s intention was when he said “no” to a female reporter in the room who had asked if Russia “is still targeting the U.S.”
“I’m interpreting what the president said, I’m not reversing it,” she told reporters during Wednesday’s White House briefing.
Trump’s comments on Wednesday come on the heels of his latest about-face involving Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. At a White House meeting a day earlier, the president told reporters he misspoke earlier this week when he said he couldn’t “see any reason why” Russia would have interfered in a U.S. election.
“I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place,” Trump said.
This story has been updated to include comment from the White House.
