During his impromptu interview on the White House Lawn with Fox & Friends Friday, President Trump said the press treat White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders “very badly,” and that she took the high road during a roast at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with jokes aimed at her appearance.
“Sarah’s a very talented person but they treat her very badly,” Trump said.
“What they did to Sarah at the White House Correspondents' Dinner,” he said, “now the only difference I would’ve done, I would’ve walked out.”
President @realDonaldTrump: "What they did to @PressSec at the White House Correspondents' Dinner... I would've walked out." pic.twitter.com/NUcJLuRoqp
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 15, 2018
“I thought she should have walked out, instead of sitting there,” he continued. “She took a very high road. Sometimes you don’t take such a high road.”
Comedian Michelle Wolf joked at the April dinner that Sanders "burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye." She also referred to Sanders as "Uncle Tom," as in "a white woman who disappoints other white women."
Many perceived her jokes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as targeting the appearance of Sanders. The White House Correspondents’ Association distanced itself from her remarks.
Sanders took the critical jokes calmly and later commented that she hoped Wolf “can find some of the same happiness that we all have, and I think she may need a little bit more of that in her life because the rest of us here are doing great."