Screenshot/State Department
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer
- Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer reappeared in the White House briefing room on Friday, but this time in a reporter's chair.
- When Trump called on Spicer, he referred to him as the reporter "in the back" and didn't acknowledge the person was his former top aide.
- The president then dodged Spicer's question about several lawmakers, including three Republicans, who sold large portions of their personal stock portfolios after receiving advanced information about the impending pandemic.
- Many members of the media expressed their disbelief that a former press secretary could be granted a seat among reporters in the briefing room.
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Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer reappeared in the White House briefing room on Friday, but this time in a reporter's chair.
When President Trump called on Spicer, he referred to him as the reporter "in the back" and didn't acknowledge the person was his former top aide.
Spicer, who now hosts a NewsMax show, asked Trump a question about his plan for helping small businesses endure the economic crisis caused by the virus, and another about four senators who sold off stocks after receiving early information about the damage the coronavirus was expected to do to the economy. Spicer suggested the lawmakers sought to "profit" off the crisis.
Trump insisted his administration would do more to help struggling small businesses and dodged Spicer's question about the lawmakers, three of whom are Republicans.
"I don't know too much about what it's about, but I find them to all be very honorable people," Trump said, mentioning the one Democrat by name. "And they said they did nothing wrong."
Members of the media in the briefing room tweeted out photos of Spicer, who was seated in a chair designated for conservative media outlets One American News Network and Newsmax. Some expressed their disbelief that a former press secretary could be granted a seat among reporters in the room.
Critics of the administration were quick to point out that Trump has long accused the press of having a liberal bias, but is happy to engage with right-leaning outlets, including Fox News.
On both Thursday and Friday, Trump took time at the podium to attack legacy newspapers and mainstream outlets. On Friday, he refused to answer a straightforward question from NBC News reporter Peter Alexander, calling him a "terrible reporter, and on Thursday he praised an OAN reporter and her network for treating him "very nicely."
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer asks President Trump a question at the Coronavirus Taskforce briefing. pic.twitter.com/7NR16KYtsF
- CSPAN (@cspan) March 20, 2020Trump calls on his former press secretary Sean Spicer to ask a question in the WH briefing room, not by name but simply as a person "in the back" pic.twitter.com/DcZ2q5gjSC
- MJ Lee (@mj_lee) March 20, 2020Trump dodges question from SEAN SPICER about Burr and Loeffler and their stock sales.
- Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 20, 2020Former @PressSec @seanspicer is in the @newsmax seat for Trump's upcoming briefing... in the role of a reporter. #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/4vJUYkWEwt
- Weijia Jiang (@weijia) March 20, 2020Sean Spicer just sitting in the White House press room asking questions like a reporter and EVERYONE ACTING LIKE THIS IS NORMAL is making me lose my mind. pic.twitter.com/xu91vD41H5
- Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) March 20, 2020What a world. After blasting the media, President Trump calls on his former press secretary, Sean Spicer, who is acting as a member of the media in the briefing room.
- Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) March 20, 2020