The president noted Sarah Sanders’ presence in the arena, and the crowd reacted.
“We have the great Sarah Huckabee over here. Sarah?” he said.
Five seconds later the crowd was shouting: “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!”
POTUS invited her to the microphone. Here are her remarks, including a jab at last year’s WHCA dinner.
“Thank you, Mr. President. Obviously, I thought it was going to be a little warmer here in Wisconsin. It’s pretty hot in this room tonight.
“Thanks to all the amazing things you’ve done for this country. Last year this night I was at a slightly different event. Not quite the best welcome. So this is an amazing honor.
“I’m so proud to work for the president. They said he couldn’t win in 2016 and he did. They said that he couldn’t make our economy better, and it’s booming. They said he couldn’t rebuild the military, and he’s done it. They said there was collusion and there wasn’t. They’ve questioned him at every step, and he’s proven them wrong every single time because of all of you.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for leading our country. Thank you!”
Trump joked after she left the stage.
“Oh, she doesn’t get it. She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t understand me after all these years. She’s becoming too popular. I’m jealous. Sarah, you’re fired!”
POTUS’s moment of mock-firing included his loudest shouting of the night so far.
Trump is still talking.
