White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders threatened to abruptly end Wednesday's briefing after receiving multiple questions about President Donald Trump's announcement that transgendered individuals would no longer serve in the military.
Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that transgendered individuals would no longer serve in the U.S. military "in any capacity," citing advise from generals and military experts.
The topic dominated Wednesday's briefing, as Sanders took questions about Trump's previous overtures to the LGBT community and what exactly his announcement entailed.
Sanders repeatedly said the decision was about "military readiness" but could not provide details beyond Trump's statement. She also could not say what the decision meant for transgendered individuals currently serving in the military.
When reporter April Ryan broached the subject again, Sanders said she would be ready to "call it a day" if that was all she would be asked.
"This was about military readiness," Sanders said. "This was about unit cohesion. This was about resources within the military and nothing more. Guys, I really don't have anything else to add on that topic. As I do, I'll keep you posted, but if those are the only questions we have, I'm going to call it a day. But if we have questions on other topics, I'll be able to take them."
The assembled press shouted out in protest, and the briefing continued. It ended less than five minutes later, as Trump had a public event speaking to children's groups at the White House.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders threatens to end the briefing because reporters keep asking about POTUS's policy on transgender servicemembers.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 26, 2017
https://twitter.com/SteveKopack/status/890284951840706561
Sarah Huckabee Sanders threatens to end briefing because all the questions are about ban on transgender service members. Unacceptable.
— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) July 26, 2017
"Stop asking me about this topic or I'll end the briefing" is an unacceptable position for Huckabee Sanders to take.
— George Zornick (@gzornick) July 26, 2017
Sanders also took questions about Trump's public rebukes of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and GOP attempts to repeal Obamacare.