Sean Spicer will return to the podium for Friday’s White House press briefing after missing most of the week because of obligations as a member of the U.S. Navy reserve.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders filled in for Spicer for the past four days. Various reporters say that President Trump is considering making the change permanent. CNN’s Jim Acosta tweeted on Wednesday that Trump is “evaluating Sanders” and Axios’ Jonathan Swan reported the president was “very happy” with Huckabee Sanders’ performance.
The official White House website lists Spicer on Friday’s schedule, but it is safe to assume Trump will be watching the situation closely.
“Trump often watches Spicer’s briefing while he eats lunch in his private dining room. He shushes his visitor and turns up the volume when the briefing starts, and critiques the exchanges like it’s ‘SportsCenter,’” Axios AM’s Mike Allen reported.
Earlier this week, the Washington Post issued a correction after originally reporting that Spicer was hiding out “in the bushes” on the White House lawn Tuesday night as he prepared to answer questions from reporters about the firing of FBI director James Comey. It seems he was simply “among” the bushes.
Many late-night hosts, pundits and Twitter users mocked Spicer for hiding in the bushes, but the report turned out to be partially inaccurate. The story now features the following editor’s note: “This story has been updated to more precisely describe White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s location late Tuesday night in the minutes before he briefed reporters. Spicer huddled with his staff among bushes near television sets on the White House grounds, not ‘in the bushes,’ as the story originally stated.”
Spicer has emerged as a household name because of his often-combative press briefings and high-profile gaffes. He is famously portrayed on “Saturday Night Live by Melissa McCarthy, who will host the show this weekend.
Friday’s briefing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET.