White House press secretary Josh Earnest is not sure if President Barack Obama is aware of the stir caused yesterday when he saluted Marines at the base of Marine One while concurrently holding his coffee cup.
“I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him about it,” Earnest told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell when asked if the president was aware of the controversy at hand.
“The president has the highest amount of respect for our men and women in uniform and he has the highest amount of respect for the men and women who are responsible for operating the presidential helicopter,” said Earnest.
“The president greatly appreciates and honors their service to him, but more importantly, their service to the country,” he added.
Obama made the gesture while leaving the helicopter for the United Nations General Assembly in New York Tuesday.