Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was forced to backtrack on Tuesday after first claiming that President Donald Trump personally informs the family after military service members are killed in action.
During an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America, Sanders responded to allegations that Trump had referred to veterans and military personnel as “suckers” and “losers.”
“I was there that day,” Sanders explained to ABC host George Stephanopoulos. “I was part of those conversations and those things didn’t happen.”
“But not only was I there that day,” she continued. “But I spent more time with the president over two and a half years than just about anybody outside of his family and I saw a president who loves this country, who loves the men and women of the armed forces.”
Sanders added: “I sat with him in the Oval Office as he had to make that awful call to let a parent know that their son had been killed in Afghanistan. At no time, other than that time, have I seen the president show his heart more, show his vulnerability more than in that time.”
Stephanopoulos interrupted to “clarify” to his audience that Sanders’ remarks were likely untrue.
“You said you were with the president when he called a family to notify them that their son had been killed in Afghanistan,” the ABC host pointed out. “And I thought it was a military protocol that it was always the military that went in person to see the family.”
“Are you talking about a condolence call?” Stephanopoulos asked, throwing Sanders a lifeline.
“Yes!” she replied. “Correct. A condolence call after that individual had been notified.”
