White House defends Trump's sexist tweet: 'He's a fighter'

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended President Trump's widely criticized attacks on Morning Joe co-host Mike Brzezinski on Thursday, claiming Trump was simply fighting "fire with fire."

"When he gets attacked, he's going to hit back," Sanders said. "I think the American people elected someone who's smart, who's tough, who's a fighter, and that's Donald Trump. And I don't think it's a surprise to anybody that he fights fire with fire."

Reporters continued to press Sanders on her answer, with NBC News' Hallie Jackson asking, "Are you going to tell your kids this behavior is okay?" Sanders responded by saying "as a person of faith, we all have one perfect role model." Another reporter asked, "How do you feel about the president attacking another woman specifically for her looks and [what] does that show, as an example, to how men should be treating other women?"

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"Look, everybody wants to make this an attack on a woman. What about the constant attacks he receives, or the rest of us? I'm a woman, and I've been attacked by this show multiple times, but I don't cry foul because of it," Sanders answered.

Sanders grew increasingly frustrated with the volley of questions, stating: "America is winning and that's what we like to talk about." But as she tried to move on, Sanders ignored a shouted question from a reporter: "How is insulting a woman on Twitter being a fighter?" Jeva Lange