Trump shakes up communication team

Trump shakes up communication team

New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders hold a news conference following the resignation of embattled Trump spokesman Sean Spicer in Washington on Friday. (EPA Photo)
New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders hold a news conference following the resignation of embattled Trump spokesman Sean Spicer in Washington on Friday. (EPA Photo)

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has shaken up his communication team, putting a New York financier in charge despite a lack of any qualifications beyond a fondness for being on television, much like his boss.

The appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House communications director led to the resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer.

Spicer, whose daily briefings once dominated cable television and delighted late-night comics, quit in protest over the hiring of Scaramucci. In private, Spicer denounced what he considered Scaramucci's lack of qualifications, according to people familiar with the situation.

In his public comments the departing spokesman said the president "could benefit from a clean slate" as he seeks to steady operations amid continuing investigations related to Russia and ahead of a showdown over healthcare legislation.

As his first act on the job, Scaramucci, a polished television commentator and Harvard Law graduate, announced from that Sarah Huckabee Sanders would take Spicer's job. She had been Spicer's deputy.

Outgoing White House press secretary Sean Spicer walks outside the West Wing of the White House on Friday. (EPA Photo)

The shake-up comes as Trump is suffering from dismal approval ratings and struggling to advance his legislative proposals. As his effort to replace Barack Obama's healthcare law crumbled this week, the president continued to vent frustration about the attention devoted to investigations of allegations of his election campaign's connections to Russia. Trump has blamed his own messengers -- as well as the "fake news" media -- for his woes.

Trump, who watches the press briefings closely and believes he is his own best spokesman, saluted Spicer's "great ratings" on TV and said he was "grateful for Sean's work on behalf of my administration and the American people".

Scaramucci, who said Spicer had been gracious in showing him around on Friday, quickly took centre stage, parrying questions from reporters and praising Trump in a 37-minute charm offensive. He flashed the television skills that Trump has long valued: He commended Trump's political instincts and competitiveness, cracked a few self-deprecating jokes and battled with reporters who categorised the West Wing as dysfunctional, saying "there is a disconnect" between the media and the way the public sees the president.

"The president has really good karma and the world turns back to him," Scaramucci said.

Spicer said during a brief phone conversation with The Associated Press that he felt it would be best for Scaramucci to build his own operation "and chart a new way forward."

Trump tweeted: "Sean Spicer is a wonderful person who took tremendous abuse from the Fake News Media -- but his future is bright!"

The White House had been looking for a new communications director for several weeks, but struggled to attract an experienced Republican hand. Scaramucci, a former Democrat -- like Trump -- who once called his new boss a "hack politician", began seriously talking to the White House about the position this week, and the president offered him the job Friday morning.

A person with knowledge of the decision said Trump has been impressed by Scaramucci's defence of the White House on television and by his handling of a recent incident with CNN. The cable channel retracted a story about Scaramucci and fired three journalists.

A shift in briefing-room tone and style was immediate. Scaramucci's delivery was smooth and polished. Spicer, who displayed a sometimes fiery and occasionally flustered demeanour in on-camera exchanges with reporters, became widely known, particularly through an impersonation by Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live.

Scaramucci, a Wall Street titan-turned-TV talking head, has no government experience and no experience crafting communication strategy around policy. The White House said he would officially take over the role on Aug 15.

It's unclear whether the new leadership will lead to a more open White House.

Scaramucci made clear that he would continue Trump's efforts to push back against media reports he doesn't like -- and would do a better job of selling his victories.

"The president is a winner. And we're going to do a lot of winning," said Scaramucci, who blew a kiss to the press corps before departing.

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