TRUMP’S A WORD LEADER
Taking over battle vs. the press
President Trump, angry over what he continues to call the “fake news” hampering his agenda, is going to take the lead role in getting out his message, the White House said Tuesday.
“He’s always proven that he is the best messenger not just for what he wants to articulate but that the American people resoundingly chose him as their president,” said spokesman Sean Spicer at his daily press briefing.
“He understands the frustrations and concerns and values of the American people, and he is probably the best person to communicate that.”
The statement came after Trump’s communications director confirmed he’d be leaving after just three months on the job and as the administration contemplated a major staff shake-up.
Michael Dubke resigned May 18 but agreed to stay on until after the president’s recent trip abroad.
His decision followed reports that Trump had grown increasingly frustrated by his communication team’s handling of the investigation into Russian meddling in the US election.
In a combative press conference, Spicer said the president also was distressed by the continuous flow of “fake news” from the media. “He’s frustrated, like I am and so many others, to see stories come out that are patently false, to see narratives that are wrong and fake news. When you see stories get perpetrated that are absolutely false, that are not based in fact, that is troubling, and he’s rightly concerned,” he said.
Asked for examples, Spicer only noted one — a tweet from a BBC reporter that mischaracterized Trump’s interaction with the Italian prime minister at the G-7 meeting that was retweeted by a reporter from The New York Times but never published.
Spicer then abruptly stopped taking questions.
Numerous reports said the president was losing patience with Spicer, Chief of Staff Reince Prie- bus, top strategist Steve Bannon and even son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is also involved in the Russia probe.
Trump, according to sources, was unhappy that Kushner, who is married to First Daughter Ivanka Trump, had been linked to the probe. But the president was unlikely to fire a family member.
Some top staffers might welcome the ax, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“He’s not doing well. He’s in shock. He just takes it too personally,” a pal told the paper about Priebus at the White House.
Meanwhile, Trump loyalists from the campaign such as Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie could soon be back on board as the president looks to find a team he can feel comfortable with. Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway was also expected to resume a larger public role.
Trump has privately and publicly pinned most of the blame for his administration's rocky start on the White House's communications strategy.
Spicer insisted that Trump was not unhappy with his press shop.
“I think the president is very pleased with his team, and he has a robust agenda,” he said.