Summary: Sean Spicer is out, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders is in.
After being mocked by the media and administrative insiders, Sean Spicer resigned as White House Press Secretary on Friday. He will be replaced by Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Spicer’s resignation was both abrupt and seen as a long time coming. Since his appointment in January, his bully-ish and ineloquent speaking style has been mocked by critics, most notably Saturday Night Live. The comedy variety show cast female Melissa McCartney to play Spicer, and she skewered the former Press Secretary by making fun of his penchant for chewing gum, making absurdly false statements, and berating reporters.
But it wasn’t just the media who snickered at Spicer. Trump’s confidante Steve Bannon famously joked in June that Spicer’s role on camera was minimized because he had gotten fat, and in May, Huckabee Sanders had begun to appear at press conferences instead of Spicer.
Huckabee Sanders will replace Spicer as Press Secretary, according to the White House, and wealthy financier Anthony Scaramucci will join the communications staff as White House Communications Director.
“The president loves Sarah,” Scaramucci said. “He thinks she’s doing a phenomenal job. I agree with him. I think Reince Priebus and other members of the staff agree. And I’m super proud to work with her. And I think she’s going to be phenomenal as a press secretary.”
Former Deputy Press Secretary Huckabee Sanders said that she plans to be “honest and transparent” in her promoted role.
“To get to do that up here in such a public way and speak on behalf of the president is absolutely an honor,” Huckabee Sanders said. “It’s something I will cherish, and will hope to do my very best every single day. And be as open, honest and transparent with you all as humanly possible.”
During a press conference on Friday, Huckabee Sanders said that Spicer will stay on for a few weeks as part of the transition. Scaramucci added that he wishes Spicer the best.
“Sean is a true American patriot. He’s a military serviceman,” Scaramucci said. “He’s got a great family. And he’s done an amazing job. This is obviously a difficult situation to be in. And I applaud his efforts here. And I love the guy. And I wish him well. And I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money.”
Spicer’s resignation surprised West Wing staffers, according to The Washington Post. The publication said that his departure “reflects the latest upheaval in a White House that has been consumed by chaos and staff infighting since almost the day President Trump took office.”
It was rumored that Trump was unhappy with Spicer’s image and the way he handled the Russian investigation questions, even though Spicer always was on Team Trump.
On Friday, Spicer said that he resigned to give the White House “a clean slate” and he said that he had no regrets with how he handled his position.
“The President wanted to bring on some folks, to add to the team. They were great,” Spicer said. “This is something you dream of. I can’t thank the president enough.”
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