White House refuses to answer whether Trump really thinks 'Democrats hate Jews'

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The first White House press briefing in six weeks was meant to revolve around questions about President Trump's budget proposal, but Trump's recent comments about the Democratic Party's attitude toward the Jewish faith stole the show.

Several reporters asked Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about whether or not Trump really told a group of Republican donors that "Democrats hate Jewish people" and, if so, whether the president believed what he said. Sanders was evasive, initially pointing out that Trump is an "unwavering" ally to Israel and arguing that Democratic leadership needs to acknowledge what is happening within their ranks, as Republican leadership did with Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) when King praised white supremacy.

But Sanders never explicitly denied Trump's comments or whether he believed his own line.

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The debate surrounding Trump's reported comments continued for a little while longer, with Sanders again criticizing the Democrats' response to recent comments by party members, and confusingly suggesting Democrats could explain Trump's point of view. "That's a question you ought to ask the Democrats," she said. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.