Teen from Marin County star asks about school shootings, chokes up White House press secretary
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A kid reporter wearing a gray tie and reading off a sheet of paper was the star of the White House press conference Wednesday when he asked a simple but powerful question about keeping children safe at schools, prompting press secretary Sarah Sanders nearly cry as she gave him an answer.
Benje Choucroun, who attends Marin Country Day School in Corte Madera, California, was on-assignment with Time for Kids during White House Sports and Fitness Day when he asked a question on gun violence in school. His earnest words caused Sanders’ voice to choke up up in a rare display of emotion. She cracked on the word "terrifying."
WATCH: Marin County kid reporter makes White House press secretary choke up
"At my school, we recently had a lockdown drill. One thing that affects my and other students' mental health is the worry about we or our friends could get shot at school. Specifically, could you tell me what the administration has done or will do to prevent these senseless tragedies?" the 13-year-old asked..
Sanders, a mother of three young children, didn’t really give him a specific answer, but promised him the administration will do "every single thing in our power" to protect children.
"As a kid, and certainly as a parent, there is nothing that could be more terrifying for a kid to go to school and not feel safe, so I'm sorry that you feel that way," Sanders said, her voice wavering.
She added: "This administration takes it seriously and the school safety commission that the President convened is meeting again this week -- an official meeting to discuss the best ways forward and how we can do every single thing within our power to protect kids in our schools and to make them feel safe and their parents feel good about dropping them off.”
The question came less than two weeks after the most recent mass school shooting claimed 10 lives in Santa Fe, Texas. and about four months after a mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were killed.
Trump will meet with the families of some of those victims during a visit to Houston on Thursday "to personally offer his condolences and support," Sanders said.
In a written statement to the Marin Independent Journal, Lucinda Lee Katz, Marin Country Day head administrator, said, “As part of our mission, Marin Country Day School nurtures our students to be critical thinkers and we challenge each student to envision and work toward a better world. We are proud of our students, both current and former, who embody the school’s values of respect, responsibility and compassion.”