White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer Is At The Centre Of Yet Another Media Debacle
It's a trainwreck.
Sean Spicer has had a bit of a rough time settling into his job as White House Press Secretary.
The jitters began on day one, when he came out and accused the media of lying about the size of the crowd at Trump’s inauguration. It was a desperate, ill-conceived move that basically set the tone for how the new administration would go about the business of governing.
Things haven’t exactly gotten better for old Spicy in the weeks since. We’ve seen him repeatedly mispronounce the name of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and watched him get into a bizarre exchange with journalists over whether or not the president owns a bathrobe. Trump is reported to be unhappy with his chief media man’s performance, especially after Spicer was portrayed in a spot-on SNL sketch by Ghostbusters star Melissa McCarthy.
What Spicer really needs is to deliver a commanding performance; one that leaves no doubt as to his competence. And what better avenue for such a performance that via a Facebook live event with Breitbart, the extreme-right “news” outlet previously managed by Steve Bannon, who is now Donald Trump’s chief advisor?
Unfortunately for Spicer, the team at Breitbart don’t seem to have their shit together any more than Trump’s inner circle. Behold: two-and-a-half of the most cringeworthy minutes ever committed to video.
It’s honestly hard to decide on the most laughable element of this production. Is it the dead air before they realise the recording is up and running? Is it the complete lack of energy in the way Spicer offers his answers? Is it the fact that interviewer Charlie Spiering looks like a 12-year-old in his dad’s suit?
“What is happening?”
“I have no idea.”
Of course it’s possible that Spicer is demonstrating his suitability for his job by surrounding himself with people even more useless than he is. If that’s indeed the case, then mission accomplished.