White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested President Donald Trump's recent comments about hating his opponents was an example of the president being "authentically himself."
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While speaking at conservative activist Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Arizona on Sunday, Trump said he disagreed with Kirk on wanting the best for his opponents.
"That's where I disagreed with Charlie," Trump said. "I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry."
His comments came after Kirk's widow, Erika, said she forgave the man who killed her husband and that "the answer to hate is not hate."
During a Monday news briefing, PBS News Hour White House correspondent Liz Landers asked Leavitt about Trump's remarks amid heightened political tensions.
"Look, the president is authentically himself," Leavitt said. "I think that's why millions of Americans across the country love him and support him, including Erika Kirk, who you saw so beautifully was on stage with the president in an unthinkable moment, in the midst of an unthinkable tragedy and was leaning on the president."
Kirk, one of the country's most prominent conservative activists, was fatally shot earlier this month while speaking at Utah Valley University.