Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggests Trump treats male, female reporters equally – but not everyone agrees
Sarah Huckabee Sanders made an appearance at Politico’s Women Rule Summit in Washington, D.C., for a fireside chat with Politico reporter Eliana Johnson to discusse Sanders’s role in the White House and how she’s put her stamp on the role as press secretary. Sanders got herself in some hot water when touching on President Trump‘s treatment of female reporters, specifically: when she suggested that the president treats them no differently from male reporters, to ensure that they are treated as equals.
Johnson mentioned two instances of Trump’s “contentious interactions” with her female colleagues, in which he called one of them “a total loser,” and told another she asks “a lot of stupid questions.” When asked if that behavior is appropriate, Sanders said, “The president is certainly not singling out women.”
.@Elianayjohnson: "The president has had some contentious interactions with some of my female colleagues…do you think that's appropriate?"
.@PressSec: "The president's had an equal number of contentious conversations with your male colleagues." pic.twitter.com/cyA3CmIArH
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 11, 2018
“Frankly, I think it’s actually a detriment when we do that,” the press secretary continued. “Women wanted to be treated equally, and we have a president that certainly does that.”
Naturally, online comments are divided over the statement, with some continuing to protest Huckabee’s response.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump insults female reporters to treat them equally. Regarding the above, do you grab men by the balls?
— Jack Grand (@JackGrand9) December 12, 2018
@PressSec that was a sell-out response. Woman or man….the president doesn't treat people with respect. And "fighting back" is not an excuse for that. And it is not "backing down" to "rise above." It is not refreshing…it is despicable.
— Michele Estes (@micheleestes777) December 12, 2018
I love the statement women want to be treated equal as men.. but whine when they're not treated like a lady 😋
— Keith Timmons (@ktimmons541) December 12, 2018
Others are acknowledging that she makes a fair point.
Yes. I think it’s appropriate. You’re either equal or you need special privileges because you’re weak. Choose one.
— Grateful_Mom (@mom_grateful) December 12, 2018
Suck it up buttercup @Elianayjohnson women want equality, well there you go, don’t expect to be treated any differently then a man, @PressSec is absolutely right, OUR President is who he is, A FIGHTER and that’s why America voted for him! #MAGA #KAG 🙌🏻🇺🇸🙌🏻🇺🇸
— Gonzales777 (@Lavonne49242314) December 12, 2018
People also had a lot to say about Sanders’s response when asked about the legacy she hopes to leave when her time in the White House is up.
“I hope that it will be that I showed up every day and did the very best job that I could to put forward the president’s message,” she said. “To do the best job I could to answer questions, to be transparent and honest throughout that process, and to do everything I could to make America a little better that day than it was the day before.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• A restaurant refused to serve Sarah Sanders and her family
• ‘Sarah Sanders welcome any time’ reads sign in front of restaurant in western New York state
• Man yelling ‘Make America great again’ arrested for throwing dung at restaurant over Sarah Sanders snub
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