Sarah Sanders addresses Russia sanctions, China tariffs, Scott Pruitt

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Friday said she doesn’t necessarily expect the new sanctions announced against some in Russian President Vladimir Putin to change Mr. Trump’s intent to meet with Putin at the White House soon. On Friday, the Trump administration announced sanctions that will affect Russian elites, including Putin’s son-in-law and body guard. 

“No, not at all,” Sanders said, in response to a question from chief White House correspondent Major Garrett about if the White House expects the summit to change. “We’ll continue, as the president has said, he wants to have a good relationship with Russia, but that’s going to depend on some of the actions by the Russians.”

Sanders, pressed by Garrett, did not say what about Russia’s behavior most aggravates Mr. Trump.

Sanders also addressed the U.S. trade dispute with China, after Mr. Trump Thursday night asked the U.S. Trade Office to consider $100 billion in new tariffs against China. Moments before Friday’s briefing, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on CBNC said there might be a trade war, prompting the Dow to drop more than 600 points. Sanders blamed China.

“We are again, this is something that China has created and President Trump is trying to fix it,” she told reporters.

Asked if Mr. Trump still thinks trade wars are easy to win, Sanders said that, if he is in charge of negotiations, “absolutely.”  

In a radio interview Friday morning, the president insisted there is no trade war because it is “already lost.”

Sanders would not give many details about the president’s relationship with Scott Pruitt, the embattled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head who is under fire for renting a condo from the wife of a Washington lobbyist, for large raises his top aides were slated to receive, and for the job changes some EPA employees allegedly received after voicing concerns about his actions. CBS News’ Jacqueline Alemany reports Mr. Trump met with Pruitt Friday morning.