"Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski admonished President Donald Trump's press secretary over his conduct during his first official press conference on Saturday.
In several tweets posted on Saturday, Brzezinski asked if Sean Spicer was "kidding" over his criticism of the
"Sean Spicer's first hostage video...that was pathetic. Embarrassing. Bad. Just bad," Brzezinski wrote.
During Saturday's press conference, Spicer dubiously boasted about the crowd size at Friday's inauguration, and claimed that media outlets intentionally attempted to "minimize the enormous support on the National Mall" by posting photographs of Trump's inauguration compared to Obama's in 2009.
"This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in-person and around the globe," Spicer asserted.
Though there are no official tallies of the crowd sizes at the inaugurations, Washington's transit system claimed that 193,000 trips were taken by 11 a.m. Friday, compared to 317,000 at the same time during Obama's 2013 inauguration, and 513,000 during the 2009 inauguration.
The "Morning Joe" co-host joined a number of top media figures who criticized Spicer's press conference:
I've known Sean Spicer since he was the press aide to the House Budget Committee. I don't know this Sean Spicer. https://t.co/gh9K9wguq7
- Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) January 21, 2017The goal, again, is clear: discredit all sources of information except themselves (and the messengers who are unfailingly loyal). https://t.co/QzRp3ZyaqF
- Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 21, 2017The clip of Sean Spicer walking out, using reporters as hate objects, and leaving without taking a single question. https://t.co/FhuO3hadUs
- Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) January 21, 2017Statements like the one Spicer just gave are why access journalism does not matter in the age of Trump. Investigative journalism matters.
- Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) January 21, 2017The man who forced Spicer to give that statement controls our nuclear arsenal.
Enjoy your Saturday!
- Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) January 21, 2017Then Spicer is a liar. Period. https://t.co/TEVN4dTdmK
- Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) January 21, 2017Sean Spicer just reminded millions of people why they marched today.
- Franklin Foer (@FranklinFoer) January 21, 2017