Chicago City Wire

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer recently took to Chicago AM radio to discuss his time working for President Donald Trump, the national news media and his new book “The Briefing, Politics, the Press and the President.”  

In a phone interview with co-host Dan Proft of Chicago’s AM 560 “The Answer,” Spicer weighed in on the state of the White House press corp and what Proft called its “unhinged” reaction to the Newseum, a museum dedicated to the First Amendment and the press, selling “fake news” T-shirts.

“There’s a pack mentality that exists within the press corps, at least … within the elite Washington one,” Spicer said. “The thing that is interesting … I think that there are a lot of voices that don’t get captured in the briefing room … the business media, the urban media, the niche media, the conservative media. The problem is that you have guys in the front couple of rows that represent the big media conglomerates that all have the same questions. That all want to perpetuate the same narrative.”

Spicer said that he tried to curb that issue by bringing in more local media to prevent the major media outlets from dominating what the American people see and read.

Proft also asked Spicer about Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ performance as press secretary.

“Clearly, the media has been coming after us for a while,” Spicer said. “I don’t remember the media being too concerned about the safety of the people in this Administration. Her job is not about her; it is about the president and I think she does a good job in articulating his views.”

Spicer also discussed the brief tenure of Anthony Scaramucci as press secretary, stating that he didn’t have the qualifications to serve in that capacity, and what it was like to advise Trump.

“The big misnomer is that the president doesn’t take advice," Spicer said. "He does; he welcomes it. But once he makes a decision, it's final."

Proft is also a principal owner of Local Government Information Services, which owns this publication.