Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer (and Others) About to Get the Boot
Sean Spicer is a nice guy.
And though he had an auspicious start with the Trump administration, he proved to be in over his head.
Spicer’s run-in with April Ryan showcased that Spicer wasn’t ready for prime time. Spicer should never have backed down during that exchange. If Trump teaches anything, he teaches never to back down when it comes to the media.
Only Ronald Reagan handled the media better than Trump. However, outside of Reagan nobody handles the media better. For more than a year, the media baited Trump, as a candidate and as president. Nothing has worked and nothing will work. They have tried every trick in the book — and still do — to make him look like the worst president in American history, but he keeps fighting back.
One would think that Trump’s shellacking of Hillary Clinton in 2016 against all odds would have made the media back down a bit. Trump offered multiple olive branches to the media, yet they declined almost every time.
The New York Times did a mea culpa, but others continued down their destructive path. In print media, few are worse than the Trump-hating Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post. As for TV, CNN and MSNBC remain in a virtual Trump-hating tie.
So you can see why the job of press secretary is critical.
Trump needs a pure warrior. But he needs a warrior who can deftly put the media in their place while making Trump look good.
This requires knowing Trump and possessing the ability to read between the line. Most importantly, the press secretary must keep the media guessing. Don’t allow them to draw conclusions that could reflect poorly on Trump. The press should always be the whipping boys.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Host Jeanine Pirro, President Trump suggested that Spicer may not be doing as great of a job as many argue. Rumors are afoot about Trump letting Spicer go.
During the interview, Pirro asked whether or not Spicer would be the press secretary “tomorrow.” The president’s response?
“Well, he’s doing a good job, but he gets beat up…He’s been there from the beginning.”
In Trump-speak, the first comment is the worst. Trump doesn’t like people to get beat up. He wants people who can dish out beatings.Trump said very coy as he would not confirm whether or not Spicer would keep his job this week.
Undoubtedly Trump’s tone suggested he felt Spicer could do better. As we know, Trump will keep a press secretary busy. But in that role, you know the deal.
The situation with Russia should be a dead horse by now, but Spicer keeps emptying the clip. The situation with former FBI Director Comey is another dead horse.
Trump added,
“He just gets beat up by these people, and again you know they don’t show the 90 questions that they asked and answered properly. I’m saying if they’re off just a little bit, just a little bit, it’s the big story.”
Below is the transcript of the exchange between Trump and Pirro.
PIRRO: Is he your press secretary today and tomorrow?
TRUMP: Yeah, he is, sure.
PIRRO: Will he be tomorrow?
TRUMP: Well, he’s doing a good job, but he gets beat up.
PIRRO: Will he be there tomorrow?
TRUMP: Well, he’s been there from the beginning.
PIRRO: Is he in the, in the – what do they say – is he in the woods?
TRUMP: He’s getting beat up. No, he just gets beat up by these people, and again you know they don’t show the 90 questions that they asked and answered properly. I’m saying if they’re off just a little bit, just a little bit, it’s the big story.
PIRRO: When will you make a decision as to whether or not you’re gonna keep having him?
TRUMP: And here’s the thing, the difference between me and another president. Another president, I won’t use names but another president doesn’t do what I’m doing. they really don’t.
PIRRO: Right.
President Trump understands that he doesn’t make the life of a press secretary easy.
The president is not the clearest communicator, but that’s likely from his tactic of being intentionally vague.
This practice has worked well for him in business. Frankly, it’s proven successful in his presidency.
Despite Trump’s lack of clarity from time to time, it’s clear that he wants a press secretary who can roll with the punches. Trump wants to be dazzled, and not have a press secretary who creates more work, ergo controversy, by not putting the media in their place.
Trump even suggested that he may do his own press briefings every two weeks. And as much as this idea may please the rapid Trump supporters, this is not a good idea. The press secretary acts as a “wingman” of sorts, providing that buffer zone between the president and the press. The president should appear only to reinforce the spanking of his press secretary.
Who will replace Spicer
Rumors are that various FOX News personalities are under consideration. But Spicer may not be the only replacement.
According to Axios, the president may “reboot” many on his staff. Names like Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon are being bandied about, again.
Get used to the culling of the herd. That’s Trump’s style. He will retool things until he has the right mix of performance and personalities. And in the end, America will be better for it.
