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.”
