On December 22, 2016, Spicer was named the White House press secretary for
Donald Trump. On December 24, he was also named the communications director for the Trump administration after the sudden and unexpected resignation of
Jason Miller. An April 2017
Politico/
Morning Consult poll showed that Spicer had a nationwide
name recognition of 60%, much higher than most other White House staffers and previous press secretaries.
First statement to the press On January 21, 2017, which was the day after the inauguration and two days before his first official press conference, Spicer made a statement to the press that was critical of the media; stating that they had underestimated the size of the crowds for
President Trump's inaugural ceremony. He claimed that the ceremony had drawn the "largest audience to ever to witness an inauguration, period – both in person and around the globe". But as many sources immediately pointed out, that claim was false. Spicer stated that the press had altered images of the event to minimize the size of the crowds. He also used incorrect figures to claim that
Metro ridership was higher during Trump's inauguration than during Obama's inauguration, when in fact it was lower than during either of Obama's inaugurations. Spicer took no questions after his statement. Later, Spicer defended his previous statements by saying "sometimes we can disagree with the facts". It was subsequently reported that Spicer had made the statement on direct orders from Trump, who was furious at what he considered unfair press coverage of his inauguration. In response to the briefing, conservative political analyst
Bill Kristol wrote: "It is embarrassing, as an American, to watch this briefing by Sean Spicer from the podium at the White House."
Vanity Fair described Spicer's statement as "peppered with lies", and
The Atlantic described Spicer's briefing as "bizarre". The article referred to the "Trump administration's needless lies" and noted that Spicer's statements appeared to involve a "deliberate attempt to mislead".
Glenn Kessler of
The Washington Post gave Spicer's claims four Pinocchios, writing that he was so appalled by the press secretary's performance that he wished he could have given him five Pinocchios instead of the maximum number of four. Trump's campaign strategist and counselor,
Kellyanne Conway, told NBC's
Chuck Todd that Trump's inauguration crowd numbers could not be proved nor quantified and that the press secretary was simply giving "
alternative facts". Todd responded by saying, "Alternative facts are not facts. They are falsehoods."
First official press conference operation Two days later on January 23, 2017, Spicer held his first official White House press conference and took questions from reporters. When Spicer was asked about attendance at the inauguration, he said that his definition of a viewing audience also included individuals who watched the event on television as well as on social media online. He claimed that online viewership must have been in the "tens of millions". Spicer's argument was based on the reported figure of 16.9 million people who began streaming the inauguration on CNN's website. This argument has been criticized because the 16.9 million streams included people who started the stream and then left. On February 7, 2017,
CNN reported that "President Donald Trump is disappointed in Spicer's performance during the first two weeks of the administration." Trump was also upset at White House chief of staff
Reince Priebus for recommending Spicer, the network reported. Trump "regrets it every day and blames Priebus", a White House source told CNN. His role as temporary communications director was filled by
Michael Dubke on March 6, 2017.
Hitler–Assad controversy On April 11, 2017, Spicer issued a statement in reference to the
Khan Shaykhun chemical attack. He said that Russia should not support the Syrian government and also commented that in World War II, "You had someone as despicable as
Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons." Spicer also referred to
concentration camps as "Holocaust centers", drawing more criticism. His remarks were widely criticized, especially given the fact that the timing of the remarks coincided with the
Jewish holiday of
Passover. Spicer later clarified that he was not trying to deny that Hitler used lethal gas during the
Holocaust, instead that he was trying to compare how Assad dropped bombs on population centers to how Hitler used the gas. Amid calls for his resignation, Spicer apologized the next day.
Relationship with White House press corps As White House press secretary, Spicer had a contentious relationship with the White House press corps.
The Washington Post wrote that the barring of the outlets was "a rare and surprising move that came amid President Trump's escalating war against the media."
Defendant in Twitter lawsuit On July 11, 2017, Spicer, along with Donald Trump, and
Dan Scavino (the White House director of social media), was sued by the
Knight First Amendment Institute at
Columbia University in
U.S. federal court in Manhattan. The suit,
Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump, alleges that Trump and the White House officials violated the
First Amendment by blocking some users from accessing Trump's
Twitter content.
Resignation On July 21, 2017, Spicer announced his intention to resign as White House Press Secretary. He made his decision known immediately after President Trump appointed financier
Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director. In the weeks leading up to the resignation announcement, Spicer had sought "a more strategic communications role" in the White House. Trump had reportedly been dissatisfied for some time with Spicer's performance as White House Press Secretary. According to
The New York Times, Trump asked Spicer to stay on, but Spicer announced his resignation after telling the President he "vehemently disagreed" with the appointment of Scaramucci. In a tweet, Spicer said that it has been "an honor and a privilege" to serve Trump and that he would continue his service in the White House, through August 2017. His new position was not identified.
Sarah Sanders was announced as the new White House Press Secretary the same day. ==Post-White House activities==