White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer dismissed a reporter for asking a "very Washington question" on Tuesday when she inquired about a possible U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan.
The Trump administration is reportedly weighing sending as many as 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan, which would bring the total there to about 13,400. The Washington Post reported this week that President Trump's advisers are pushing for a new strategy against the Taliban, including granting the military broader authority to target the group with air strikes.
After Spicer tersely replied, "Yes," when NPR's Mara Liasson asked him if Trump wants to win the war in Afghanistan, she asked what winning would look like to the president.
"I think reducing the threat, especially when it comes to ISIS and the Taliban," Spicer said.
"Reducing the treat," Liasson repeated.
"We want to eliminate the threats that are against our national security and pose a threat to our citizens, our allies, so we need to fully eliminate any threat around the globe, frankly, not just in Afghanistan, that poses a threat to our people and our allies," Spicer said.
"As he considers what to do next and if he wants to commit more troops, at one point we had 100,000 troops there and we didn't eliminate the threat," Liasson said. "Why would 15,000 do the trick if 100,000 didn't before?"
"Well, I think that's a very Washington question, meaning just because you spend more, throw more people, doesn't mean you're doing it in the most effective way," Spicer said.
Spicer said Trump told his national security team to "re-think the strategy" and figure out how to win in Afghanistan.