Trump jokingly fires Sarah Sanders at rally for being ‘too popular’

The crowd at President Trump’s rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday night broke into cheers when White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders took the stage, prompting Trump to jokingly fire her in “The Apprentice” fashion.

Trump brought Sanders on stage early into his rally, which was held during the same time as the 2019 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner.

As she made her way to the microphone, the crowd erupted into cheers of “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah.”

“Last year this night I was at a slightly different event, not quite the best welcome. So this is an amazing honor. I’m so proud to work for the president,” Sanders said after taking the stage, making a jab at last year’s WHCA dinner where comedian Michelle Wolf roasted Sanders and sparked backlash. {mosads}

This year’s annual dinner celebrating journalists broke with the tradition of having a comedian as the headliner, instead opting for historian Ron Chernow. The president urged his staff to boycott the event, allowing for Sanders to be in attendance at Trump’s dueling rally.

Sanders went on to praise Trump for this economic and military policy, and jabbed at special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report.

“They said there was collusion and there wasn’t. They’ve questioned him at every step and he’s proven them wrong every time because of you.” 

The brief appearance was followed by more applause for Sanders, prompting Trump to joke: 

“She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t understand me after all these years. She’s becoming too popular, Sarah, I’m jealous. You’re fired!”

He then added, “she’s great.”

Sanders has become one of the mainstays of Trump’s administration, which has seen a rapid amount of turnover at the highest levels. Sanders, along with White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, is a rare White House official who worked on both Trump’s 2016 campaign and has remained in the White House through the duration of his first two years.