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Sanders tries to turn page, but press sparring continues

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders pauses as she prepares to answer questions during the press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders pauses as she prepares to answer questions during the press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders pauses as she prepares to answer questions during the press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) – Sarah Huckabee Sanders made her solo debut as the new White House press secretary on Wednesday. She’s bringing a combination of motherly scolding and practiced folksy charm to the job.

Seeking a reset following months of contentious relations between reporters and President Donald Trump’s press office, Sanders began on a personal note, noting her status as the first mother to hold the position and talking about how she hoped to be a role model for kids across the country.

Sanders also read a letter from a 9-year old named Dylan who’d written to Trump to tell the president that he was his “favorite.”

But the pleasantries were quickly plowed over as business returned to usual, with reporters peppering Sanders with questions about the president’s latest tweets.