Follow the White House press briefing

Updated 6:56 p.m. ET, April 25, 2018

4 Posts

Sort by

2:35 p.m. ET, April 25, 2018

Trump called Kim Jong Un "very honorable." Here's what Sarah Sanders says about that.

President Trump yesterday described North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as "very open " and "very honorable." He did not further explain the comment.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was just asked about it. A reporter mentioned how Trump, at his State of the Union address earlier this year, called out the North Korean regime.

"How do you reconcile those two assessments of the leader and the regime in North Korea?" the reporter asked.

"The President's referencing the conversations that we've had ongoing over the last month or so in regards to the meeting to take place and their willingness to denuclearize on the peninsula," Sanders said.

In a follow-up question, the reporter asked if Trump thinks the regime has changed.

"We think the maximum pressure campaign is working, but we're not going to let up on that campaign until we see some of the words they've made go into concrete action but they're moving in the right direction," Sanders said.

Watch the full exchange:

2:58 p.m. ET, April 25, 2018

White House: Ronny Jackson has been vetted more than most nominees

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters this afternoon that Ronny Jackson, President Trump's pick to lead the Veterans Affairs agency, has had multiple background checks.

She said Jackson, Trump's presidential physician, has an "impeccable" record.

Sanders continued:

Given his unique position of trust and responsibility, Dr. Jackson's background and character were evaluated during three different administrations. Dr. Jackson has what at least four independent background investigations conducted during his time at the White House, including an FBI investigation conducted as part of the standard nomination vetting during each of those investigations, Dr. Jackson received unanimous praise from dozens of witnesses and the investigations revealed no area of concern. Dr. Jackson has received glowing evaluations from his superiors, including several from President Obama, which said that Dr. Jackson should continue to promote ahead of his peers and already at a level of performance and responsibility that exceeds his current rank.

However, Republican lawmakers and aides have grown increasingly frustrated with the White House over the last several days -- tied in part to the unconventional nomination of Dr. Jackson to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs and the lack of congressional consultation before it was made.

1:57 p.m. ET, April 25, 2018

The questions that could come up in today's briefing

On Macron: French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech to Congress in which he disagreed with Trump on several key issues, including the environment and the Iran deal. Did Trump see the speech? How's he reacting?
On Trump's VA pick: Does the President want Ronny Jackson to withdrawal his nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs? (Yesterday, Trump said the decision was up to Jackson.)
On the travel ban: The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today on Trump's travel ban. Does the President think the court will side with him?
On James Comey: Will the President watch James Comey's town hall on CNN tonight?

2:05 p.m. ET, April 25, 2018

The briefing starts at 2:15 p.m. ET

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders will take reporters' questions at 2:15 p.m. You can follow it live here.