With the resignation of Sean Spicer as White House Press Secretary comes great sadness. First, I’m really sad I won’t have as many (if any) opportunities to draw him in the future. I was having fun making fun of the absurd stuff this guy said. It was also a challenge to make something more absurd than the Spicy reality. This shit ain’t easy.
Second, I’m sad for all of us as we won’t have Melissa McCarthy’s impersonation of Spicer on Saturday Night Live anymore. That’s truly depressing.
I do wonder how people like Spicer, Kellyanne Conway, and even someone who previously had a respectable reputation, like H.R. McMaster will find credibility or employment in the future.
Donald Trump took a break from obsessing over Hillary Clinton and plotting how he’ll obstruct Robert Mueller’s investigation to shove Spicer aside for Anthony Scaramucci, who was hired as Communications Director. Spicer’s deputy, Sarah Huckabee-Sanders will take over his job.
Spicer had spent the past six months degrading and humiliating himself for Trumpism. His very first press briefing was all about fictional crowd sizes which left journalists and everyone with a working brain in shock. Was this how the new administration would conduct itself? We would now have a White House that pushed aside the nation’s business to focus on the president’s fragile ego which needs to be propped up by total utter bullshit? Yep!
Things got worse for Spicer as he scored spectacular ratings while becoming a national laughingstock. He claimed that Hitler never gassed his own people. He once excluded CNN, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, and Buzzfeed from a press gaggle. He would often start briefings by calling on conservative “news” sources over actual news sources. He had a fondness for using props as if they would make ridiculous statements, actions, and claims reasonable. He once mentioned a terrorist attack in Atlanta that never happened. He accused Buzzfeed of attacking Jesus Christ. He used the White House podium to attack Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka’s clothing line. There was the time he told reporter April Ryan to stop shaking her head as he was citing bogus information. Finally, there was the time he hid from reporters in the bushes. For me, it was really hard to top cartoonish behavior with cartoons.
A few people feel bad for Spicer as he would humiliate himself and often was conducting the briefings for one viewer, the president. Trump would force Spicer to lie and back up dubious claims, and then would contradict his Press Secretary’s statements the next day. But Spicer chose to work for a narcissistic ass-clown. He chose to peddle crap and nonsense.
Trump was reportedly unhappy with Spicer, insulted his clothing, turned the cameras off for the briefings, and thought it reflected poorly on Spicer that SNL had a woman portray him. The biggest insult came during a foreign trip when Trump sent Spicer back to the states early which prevented the devout Catholic from meeting the Pope. By the way, Sean, the Bible is against lying.
Hiring Scaramucci was apparently the one indignity Spicer refused to take. The move was a statement that Trump had little use for Spicer and the move came as a complete surprise.
Trump denies he ever asked James Comey for his loyalty, but it’s something he does keep expecting from people. He’s made crowds swear a loyalty pledge to him, he’s whined about disloyal Republicans, and conducted a cabinet meeting where every member lavished praise on the president. He thinks the Attorney General should be loyal to the president before the nation. Scaramucci started his first day pledging loyalty and “love” to Trump. People who are loyal to Trump need to pay attention to how he returns it.
Spicer was loyal to Trump. Sessions and Chris Christie have been loyal to Trump also. Trump has shown when he’s done with people that he’s very comfortable with discarding them.
Donald Trump betrays those who are loyal to him. He expects it but he doesn’t return it. In time he will betray every Trump sycophant who voted for him and still believes he’s making America great again.
When Trump betrays you and leaves you out in the cold, or the bushes, I’ll give you the same treatment I’m giving Sean. I’ll draw a cartoon about you.
Remember, just like Sean, you chose to humiliate and degrade yourself.
Clay Jones can be reached at [email protected]