White House may move Spicer off the podium
Press secretary expected to shift responsibilities as part of communication overhaul
White House press secretary Sean Spicer is expected to transition to a more behind-the-scenes role overseeing communications strategy, part of a broader overhaul of the administration’s most public-facing operation that has long been the subject of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ire and criticism.
Spicer’s anticipated move away from the briefing room podium, con- firmed by a senior White House official, comes amid weeks of frustration from Trump with his communications team, and after the White House had already made overtures to a range of Republicans about taking jobs within the West Wing press operation.
“We have sought input from many people as we look to expand our communications operation,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. “As he did in the beginning, Sean Spicer is managing both the communications and press office.”
Politico and Bloomberg first reported the likely press shop changes.
No official announcement has been made about Spicer’s move and discussions concerning his role are ongoing, including whether he would still occasionally appear at the podium.
Spicer’s retreat from public view has occurred slowly — yet publicly — over the past month.
Early in Trump’s presidency, Spicer’s on-camera briefing was an almost-daily, must-watch occurrence — a combative, freewheeling spectacle between Spicer and the restive press corps. Trump boasted that the Spicer show got incredible ratings and NBC’s Saturday Night Live parodied it week after week.
But recently, the White House briefing had receded from its place of daily prominence, and Spicer with it. Spicer took to holding some briefings off-camera, as he did Monday, or deploying Sanders as his substitute, or even inviting a Cabinet official to brief reporters. Some days, there has been no briefing at all.
At one point, the White House considered deploying a rotating cast of briefers, in part to prevent the president, who has a short attention span, from growing bored or angry with his press secretary. And, if Spicer ultimately steps away from the podium, it remains unclear if the West Wing plans to fill the press secretary role with just one person.
White House Communications Director Mike Dubke — a longtime Re- publican operative with establishment pedigree who never quite gelled with Trump’s chaotic, insurgent operation — resigned from his post last month, and Spicer had already unofficially taken on some of Dubke’s off-camera messaging duties. Spicer is now expected to focus more on message development and strategy, rather than serving as one of the administration’s most visible public figures.
Trump had long provided mixed signals to Spicer, at times calling him to congratulate the press secretary on what a great a job he was doing, only to begin polling his friends and confidants about whether he should fire Spicer.