Sean Spicer abruptly exits as Trump names new communications director
WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Sean Spicer abruptly resigned Friday over President Donald Trump’s decision to tap a new leader to the beleaguered White House communications team.
The departing spokesman said the president “could benefit from a clean slate” as he seeks to steady operations amid the Russia investigations and ahead of a health care showdown.
Mr. Spicer, whose daily briefings once dominated cable television and delighted late-night comics, quit in protest over the hiring of Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House communications director. Mr. Spicer denounced what he considered Mr. Scaramucci’s lack of qualifications, according to people familiar with the situation.
As his first act on the job, Mr. Scaramucci, a polished television commentator and Harvard Law graduate, announced from the
White House briefing room that Sarah Huckabee Sanders would take Mr. Spicer’s job. She had been Mr. Spicer’s deputy. The shake-up among the president spokespeople comes as Mr. Trump is suffering from dismal approval ratings and struggling to advance his legislative proposals. As his effort to replace Barack Obama’s health care law crumbled this week, the president continued to vent frustration about the attention devoted to investigations of allegations of his election campaign’s connections to Russia. Mr. Trump has blamed his own messengers — as well as the “fake news” media — for his woes. Mr. Trump, who watches the press briefings closely and believes he is his own best spokesman, saluted Mr. Spicer’s “great ratings” on TV and said he was “grateful for Sean’s work on behalf of my administration and the American people.” Mr. Scaramucci, who said Mr. Spicer had been gracious in showing him around on Friday, quickly took center stage, parrying questions from reporters and praising Mr. Trump in a 37-minute charm offensive. He flashed the television skills that Mr. Trump has long valued: He commended Mr. Trump’s political instincts and competitiveness, cracked a few self-deprecating jokes and battled with reporters who categorized the West Wing as dysfunctional, saying “there is a disconnect” between the media and the way the public sees the president. Mr. Spicer said in a brief phone conversation with The Associated Press that he felt it would be best for Mr. Scaramucci to build his own operation “and chart a new way forward.” He tweeted that it had been an “honor” to serve Mr. Trump and he would remain in his post through August. His decision to quit took advisers inside and outside the White House by surprise, according to people with knowledge of the decision. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the personnel matter publicly. A person with knowledge of the decision said Mr. Trump has been impressed by Mr. Scaramucci’s defense of the White House on TV and by his handling of a recent incident with CNN. The cable channel retracted a story about Mr. Scaramucci and fired three journalists.