White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday President Donald Trump is the best person to communicate his message and then took the opportunity to bash what the administration believes are fake news reports on a variety of subjects.
"The best messenger is the president himself. He's always proven that," Spicer told the White House press corps. "He understands the frustration and concerns of the American people."
It's been reported in recent days that Trump may shake up his communications staff and may bring in a crisis team to help him deal with backlash from the Russia investigation. On Tuesday, it was reported that White House communications director Mike Dubke is resigning.
There's also been talk of holding fewer on-camera press briefings.
"He's very pleased with the work of his staff. He's frustrated to see stories come out that are patently false, to see 'fake' news,'" Spicer said. "When you see stories get perpetrated that are absolutely false, that are not based on fact, that is troubling. He is rightly concerned."
Spicer was then asked to give an example of a recent fake news story regarding the president.
"Friday, the president was having a great discussion at the G-7. And someone from the BBC said, and ultimately an incoming reporter from The New York Times retweeted, the president was being rude by disrespecting the Italian prime minister," Spicer said.
"You all, in everyone of the meetings, watched the president with that one earpiece that's been used by other presidents and yet the president did a great job at NATO, building stronger bonds, building bonds with the G-7, increasing America's presence around the world. That's the kind of thing that the BBC and ultimately a reporter who is joining The New York Times push out and perpetuate with no apology? You're shaking your heads here. It's true. You did it."
"The problem is that I think the president, to the question, gets frustrated when he sees fake stories get published, things that aren't based on fact."
Spicer closed the briefing by venting more of his and the president's frustrations with news reports that are based on anonymous sources, adding that the stories about job creation and combatting terrorism are big stories.
"The reason the president is frustrated is there is a use of unnamed sources about things that are happening that don't ultimately happen," he said. "That is troubling."
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