White House press secretary Sean Spicer might soon be stripped of his daily press briefing duties, according to reports this week in The New York Times and Politico.
Politico reported that President Donald Trump is thinking about “scaling back” Spicer’s “public role,” and the Times reported that deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who has filled in for Spicer at briefings when he has been out on Navy Reserve duty, might take over for Spicer at the podium.
Spicer has had a rocky tenure as press secretary. Trump is known to watch Spicer’s briefings closely and critique his performance, and observers have commented on Sanders’ performance favorably in comparison to Spicer.
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” has also spoofed Spicer, mocking his belligerent style with reporters and characterizing him as a sycophant in his relationship with the president.
And the Trump administration has been beset by a string of Russia-related bombshell news stories over the past week, prompting the president to shift blame to his communications team for not doing a better job with messaging, according to Politico. Trump and his administration have often seemed on different wavelengths during the controversies.
Trump has also threatened to stop doing press briefings entirely, frustrated with his perceived lack of control over his surrogates.
Politico reported Spicer is likely to keep a senior role in the administration even if his public role is diminished.