TO TELL THE TRUTH . . .
Two days after he used inaccurate numbers to excoriate the media over reports about the crowds at President Trump’s inauguration, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told a packed briefing room Monday that he intends to always speak the truth.
“I believe that we have to be honest with the American people,” Spicer said in his first fullblown press conference.
“I think sometimes we can disagree with the facts. There are certain things that we may not fully understand when we come out, but our intention is never to lie to you.”
The presidential spokesman also doubled down on his statement Saturday that Trump’s swearing-in garnered the highest number of viewers ever.
“It was the most-watched inauguration. On one network, there were tens of millions of people that watched online,” he said. “It’s unquestionable. I don’t see any numbers that dispute that.
“If we make a mistake, we’ll do our best to correct it,” Spicer added, warning journalists that their relationship with the White House is a “two-way street.”
When asked about his false statement Saturday that the Washington Metro system recorded more riders on the day of the inauguration than when exPresident Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term, he said he provided the best numbers available.
Spicer said he’d been given incorrect information about the ridership but insisted that — when TV and online viewership are combined — it was the mostwatched inaugural in history.
According to Nielsen ratings, however, Trump’s inauguration fell short of the top TV viewership, with Ronald Reagan’s 1980 event at No. 1.
Moving to foreign affairs, Spicer said that Trump, who spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is committed to providing military assistance to that country.
Trump “underscored the United States remain committed to the bilateral relationship which helped both countries overcome challenges in the region for decades,” Spicer said.
Washington’s annual $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt was briefly suspended under Obama in 2013, after the ouster of thenPresident Mohamed Morsi, but was reinstated in 2015. Among other issues, Spicer said:
The Trump administration is willing to partner with Russia to combat ISIS. Trump has been “very clear” that he will “work with any country committed to defeating ISIS,” Spicer said.
The administration vowed that the US will prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea. “I think the US is going to make sure that we protect our interests there,” Spicer said. “It’s a question of, if those islands are, in fact, in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we’re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country.”
Illegal immigrants with criminal records will be targeted for a stepped-up deportation drive promised by Trump.
“People who can do harm or have done harm and have a criminal record are the focus,” Spicer said when asked about the future of a program that shields from deportation undocumented immigrants who arrived as children.
Trump, who has made creating American manufacturing jobs a centerpiece of the early days of his term, will be hosting breakfast at the White House with the heads of Ford, GM and Chrysler on Tuesday. Spicer did not reveal the specific agenda.
The White House will designate four “Skype seats” in the press briefing room as part of its plan for a more “diverse group of journalists” to ask questions.