The White House on Thursday held its first press briefing in roughly six weeks, but it wasn’t for members of the Washington press corps.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Vice President Pence took questions from children in the James S. Brady briefing room as part of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House.
{mosads}It marked the first time since March 11 that Sanders fielded questions from the podium. The 45-day stretch is the longest the Trump White House has gone without holding a press briefing.
Sanders said the content of the mock briefing was off the record, though she did make some news in sharing that President Trump will host NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano at the White House on Tuesday, and he will deliver the commencement address at the Air Force Academy in Colorado next month.
Members of the White House press corps tweeted about the mock briefing as it took place.
The White House has faced criticism from media organizations as press briefings have grown increasingly rare.
Sanders held two briefings in October, one in November and one in December. She has held two briefings with reporters this year, and Trump appeared in the briefing room in January but did not take questions from reporters.
The president tweeted in January that he directed Sanders to stop holding regular briefings, citing unfair treatment by the news media.
While the administration rarely holds briefings or full press conferences with the president, Trump often responds to questions from reporters when he leaves the White House for Marine One or during pool sprays, which consist of a small group of reporters covering events at the White House.
Trump has had a combative relationship with the news media since hitting the campaign trail in 2015. He often derides unfavorable coverage as “fake news,” and has labeled some outlets and reporters as the “enemy of the people.”
The president will skip this weekend’s annual White House correspondents’ dinner and instead hold a rally in Wisconsin. Administration officials have been directed not to attend the annual dinner.