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U.S. NEWS Saturday 22 July 2017
Spicer exits as Trump shakes up his beleaguered press team

Continued from Front retracted a story about
Scaramucci and fired three
As his first act on the job, journalists. A shift in briefing-
Scaramucci, a polished room tone and style was
television commentator immediate. Scaramucci’s
and Harvard Law gradu- delivery was smooth and
ate, announced from polished. Spicer, who dis-
the White House briefing played a sometimes-fiery
room that Sarah Hucka- and occasionally flustered
bee Sanders would take demeanor in on-camera
Spicer’s job. She had been exchanges with reporters,
Spicer’s deputy. The shake- became widely known,
up among the president particularly through an im-
spokespeople comes as personation by Melissa Mc-
Trump is suffering from dis- Carthy on NBC’s “Saturday
mal approval ratings and Night Live.” McCarthy’s sig-
struggling to advance his nature move was to plow
legislative proposals. As his down reporters with the
effort to replace Barack podium when exasperated
Obama’s health care law by questioning. Spicer had
crumbled this week, the long sought the strategic
president continued to communications job for
vent frustration about the Sarah Huckabee Sanders, left, who has been named White House press secretary, watches as himself and had been man-
attention devoted to in- incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, right, blows a kiss after aging that role along with
vestigations of allegations answering questions during the press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House his press secretary duties for
of his election campaign’s in Washington, Friday, July 21, 2017. nearly two months.q
connections to Russia. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Trump has blamed his own tweeted that it had been
messengers — as well as an “honor” and “privilege”
the “fake news” media — to serve Trump and that he
for his woes. Trump, who would remain in his post
watches the press briefings through August.
closely and believes he is His decision to quit took
his own best spokesman, advisers inside and out-
saluted Spicer’s “great rat- side the White House by
ings” on TV and said he surprise, according to
was “grateful for Sean’s people with knowledge of
work on behalf of my ad- the decision. They spoke
ministration and the Ameri- on condition of anonym-
can people.” That was ity because they were not
in a statement read out authorized to discuss the
by Sanders. Scaramucci, personnel matter publicly.
who said Spicer had been Spicer’s daily press briefings
gracious in showing him had become must-see TV
around on Friday, quickly until recent weeks when
took center stage, parry- he took a more behind-
ing questions from report- the-scenes role. Sanders
ers and praising Trump in a has largely taken over the
37-minute charm offensive. briefings, turning them into
He flashed the television off-camera events.
skills that Trump has long The White House had been
valued: He commended looking for a new commu-
Trump’s political instincts nications director for sev-
and competitiveness, eral weeks, but struggled
cracked a few self-depre- to attract an experienced
cating jokes and battled Republican hand. Scar-
with reporters who catego- amucci, a former Demo-
rized the West Wing as dys- crat — like Trump — who
functional, saying “there once called his new boss
is a disconnect” between a “hack politician,” be-
the media and the way gan seriously talking to the
the public sees the presi- White House about the
dent. “The president has position this week, and the
really good karma and the president offered him the
world turns back to him,” job Friday morning.
Scaramucci said. A person with knowledge
Spicer said during a brief of the decision said Trump
phone conversation with has been impressed by
The Associated Press that Scaramucci’s defense of
he felt it would be best for the White House on tele-
Scaramucci to build his vision and by his handling
own operation “and chart of a recent incident with
a new way forward.” He CNN. The cable channel