White House: Trump Was Being Sarcastic When He Thanked Putin for Expelling Diplomats

President Trump was just being “sarcastic” when he repeatedly thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for expelling U.S. diplomats, the White House claimed on Friday. “I want to thank [Putin] because we’re trying to cut down our payroll,” Trump said Thursday during a press briefing at his New Jersey golf resort. “I’m very thankful that he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll.” When questioned about the incident, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday: “He was being sarcastic.”