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April Ryan Grills Sarah Huckabee Sanders on What Trump Meant by 'Breeding'

Lauretta Brown
Lauretta Brown  |  April 23, 2018 4:20 PM

April Ryan, of American Urban Radio and CNN, sparred yet again with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Monday, asking what President Trump meant by the word ‘breeding’ in a tweet from last week about crime in sanctuary cities.

“What did he mean by ‘breeding?’” Ryan asked Sanders.

"The president has recognized that this is a major problem, and a lot of people even in California want to see the issue of sanctuary cities addressed," Sanders replied. "And the president is doing what he can to do that."

"But what does breeding mean to this president because when you think of breeding, you think of animals breeding, populating," Ryan pressed.

Sanders seemed taken aback by Ryan’s speculation.

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"I'm not going to begin to think what you think,” she replied. “Certainly, I think it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but the president is talking about a growing problem."

CNN's Jim Acosta also brought up Trump's use of the term in the briefing, asking "was he making a derogatory term about Latinos in California that they breed a lot or that they’re prone to breeding?"

"No, he's talking about the problem itself growing and getting bigger," Sanders replied. 

The use of the word ‘breeding’ in the context of crime is fairly common and Trump has used it in past rhetoric about sanctuary cities. However, Ryan and Acosta were not the only ones who seemed to read something nefarious or racist in Trump’s use of that word.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) called it “despicable” and CNN claimed last week that it was referring to immigrants and was racist.

Earlier this month, Ryan feuded with Sanders when she asked if Trump has “thought about stepping down.”