White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders could not say whether President Donald Trump still had confidence in Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Thursday, saying that it was a positive to have different perspectives as opposed to the "groupthink" in previous administrations.
"Does the president have confidence in his chief of staff?" ABC reporter Jonathan Karl asked.
"I think I've addressed this question when it comes to staffing and personnel many times, that if the president doesn't, then he'll make that decision," Sanders said. "We all serve at the pleasure of the president, and if he gets to a place where that isn't the case, he'll let you know."
"So you can't say right now if the president has full confidence in Chief of Staff Reince Priebus?" Karl asked.
"I think I just answered that," she said. "This is a White House that has a lot of different perspectives, because the president hires the very best people. They're not always going to agree. There are going to be a lot of different ideas. Unlike previous administrations, this isn't groupthink."
Sanders said there is "healthy competition" that leads to the best results, and Trump likes it that way.
Priebus has reportedly been at odds with new communications director Anthony Scaramucci and seen his role diminished. He lost a key ally last week in the White House with the resignation of Sean Spicer as press secretary.