Sean Spicer implies his words have more weight than President Trump's tweets
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday emphasized the importance of his daily briefings when it comes to expressing President Trump's message, in response to a question about the president's tweets. "I think Sean Spicer just said that what he says from the press briefing podium is more important than what President Trump himself tweets," marveled The Boston Globe's Matt Viser on Twitter.
Spicer's comments came in response to a question from SiriusXM's Jared Rizzi about why President Trump has time to tweet-shame Nordstrom for dropping his daughter's clothing line, but remained silent after six people were killed in a mosque shooting in Quebec City in late January.
Spicer answered that he had opened a subsequent press briefing after the shooting with Trump's condolences. "You're equating me addressing the nation here with a tweet? That's the silliest thing I've ever heard," Spicer said.
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Of course, what goes unacknowledged is it's not just a tweet — it's a tweet from the president of the United States. Watch the tense exchange below. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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