Mr. Trump, after all, had conceded only the day before on national television
that “in terms of messaging, I would give myself a C or a C-plus.” In the same interview, on “Fox & Friends,” the president described his press secretary, Sean Spicer, as “a fine human being.” The language struck close Trump associates as a dismissive turn from a man who relishes hyperbole.
To be sure, anyone serving as press secretary for Mr. Trump has a thankless task,
and Mr. Spicer’s turn at the controls of the Trump train has been bumpy enough to deter several Republican strategists from seeking a job in the White House.
John Catsimatidis, the Manhattan businessman and a Trump friend of three decades,
said he would counsel Mr. Trump to give better directions to the press office.
Mr. Trump hired Mr. Spicer at the urging of his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, despite his own lingering questions about the strategist’s
loyalty, according to four former campaign officials, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly about private discussions with Mr. Trump.
In the meantime a distrustful atmosphere pervades the White House press office, which is a mixture of Trump loyalists
and Republican National Committee alumni divided by a “line in the sand,” as one former campaign adviser put it.
Corey Lewandowski, Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager who remains close to the administration, said in an interview
that Mr. Spicer was “a consummate professional who understands the media.”
“He is continuing to represent the president in a way that is authentic and direct to the American people,” Mr. Lewandowski said.
The president offers Mr. Spicer frequent critiques of his performance in the briefing room,
and while the press secretary has improved in the president’s estimation, Mr. Trump was displeased by a series of recent unforced errors.
