White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer addressed President Trump’s early morning tweet suggesting he could cancel all future press briefings “for the sake of accuracy” during his return to the podium on Friday.
“I think he’s a little dismayed, as well as a lot of people that we come out here and try to do everything we can to provide you and the American people, with what he’s doing on their behalf, what he’s doing to keep the nation safe, what he’s doing to grow jobs and yet, we see time and time again an attempt to parse every little word and make it a game of gotcha,” Spicer said. “There is where there is a lot of dismay.”
Spicer conducted Friday’s 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 while he was out.
Earlier on Friday, Trump sent a series of tweets bashing the media and saying his surrogates shouldn’t be expected to speak with “perfect accuracy.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/863000553265270786
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/863002719400976384
Spicer was eventually asked if Trump’s tweet means that he “doesn’t have the full picture” when standing at the press briefing podium.
“As I said, we come up here everyday, not just to the podium but to… we are here first thing in the morning to late at night everyday answering your questions on a variety of subjects throughout issues that are happening in the government. As most of you can attest, working day and night to get you the most up-to-date, accurate information at all times,” Spicer said. “With respect to the president, as I mentioned, he’s an activist president. He keeps an unbelievably busy and robust schedule.”
Spicer continued: “There are times when we give you the information we have at the time… I believe you, and others, will attest to when we don’t have an answer, we try really hard to either update you after the fact or to get you the facts that we didn’t have at the time.”
The spokesman would not confirm or deny if the White House has recording devices that Trump alluded to in a separate tweet on Friday morning.