Sean Spicer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sean Spicer
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Spicer in 2017
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| 30th White House Press Secretary | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – July 21, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Sarah Sanders |
| Preceded by | Josh Earnest |
| Succeeded by | Sarah Sanders |
| White House Communications Director | |
| Acting June 2, 2017 – July 21, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Michael Dubke |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Scaramucci |
| Acting January 20, 2017 – March 6, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Jen Psaki |
| Succeeded by | Michael Dubke |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sean Michael Spicer
September 23, 1971 Manhasset, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Rebecca Miller
(m. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Connecticut College (BA) Naval War College (MA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1999–present |
| Rank |  Commander |
| Unit | U.S. Navy Reserve |
| Awards | Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" Device  National Defense Service Medal  Defense Meritorious Service Medal (X2)  Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal  Joint Service Achievement Medal (X2)  Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal  Expert Pistol Marksman  Global War on Terrorism Service Medal  Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal  Antarctica Service Medal  |
Sean Michael Spicer (born September 23, 1971) is an American political aide. He served as the main spokesperson for President Donald Trump in 2017. This job is called the White House Press Secretary. He was also the White House Communications Director for a short time.
Before working for President Trump, Spicer was in charge of communications for the Republican National Committee. This is a major political group in the United States. He worked there from 2011 to 2017.
During his time as Press Secretary, Spicer often had disagreements with news reporters. He made some statements that caused controversy. He resigned from his role on July 21, 2017. After leaving the White House, Spicer wrote a book. He also appeared on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. Later, he hosted a political talk show on Newsmax TV.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sean Spicer was born in Manhasset, New York. His parents are Kathryn and Michael William Spicer. He grew up in Rhode Island. His father worked as an insurance agent. His mother works at Brown University.
Spicer was raised Catholic. He went to Portsmouth Abbey School, a Catholic boarding school, from 1985 to 1989. While in high school, he helped with local political campaigns. He continued this work in college.
He studied at Connecticut College from 1989 to 1993. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government. In 2012, he earned a master's degree from the Naval War College. This degree was in national security and strategic studies.
Early Career in Politics
After college, Spicer worked on several political campaigns. In the late 1990s, he worked for different members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1999, Spicer joined the United States Navy Reserve. He works as a public affairs officer. He currently holds the rank of Commander. This means he is an officer in the Navy Reserve.
Government Roles
From 2000 to 2001, Spicer was the communications director for a House committee. This committee focused on government reform. From 2003 to 2005, he was a spokesman for the House Budget Committee.
He later worked for the Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives. From 2006 to 2009, he worked for the U.S. Trade Representative. This was during President George W. Bush's time in office. He even wore an Easter bunny suit during White House Easter Egg Rolls!
Working with the Republican National Committee
From 2009 to 2011, Spicer was a partner at a public relations company. This company helped foreign governments and businesses.
In February 2011, Spicer became the communications director for the Republican National Committee (RNC). The RNC is a big organization for the Republican Party. At the RNC, he helped improve their social media. He also created a team to quickly respond to news. In 2015, he also became the chief strategist for the party.
While at the RNC, Spicer sometimes disagreed with Donald Trump. Trump was a Republican presidential candidate at the time. For example, in 2015, Spicer said that Trump's comments about Mexican immigrants were "not helpful." He also criticized Trump's comments about U.S. Senator John McCain. Spicer said there was "no place" for comments that disrespected those who served the country.
White House Press Secretary
On December 22, 2016, Sean Spicer was chosen to be the White House Press Secretary for President Donald Trump. Two days later, he was also named the communications director.
In April 2017, a poll showed that many people knew who Spicer was. His name recognition was 60%. This was much higher than most other White House staff members.
First Statement to the Press
On January 21, 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration, Spicer spoke to the press. He criticized the media. He said they had underestimated the crowd size for President Trump's inauguration ceremony. He claimed it was the "largest audience to ever to witness an inauguration, period." Many news sources quickly pointed out that this claim was not true.
Spicer also said that the press had changed images to make the crowds look smaller. He said floor coverings made the audience look smaller. He claimed these coverings had never been used before. However, they were used in 2013 for President Obama's inauguration. He also used wrong numbers for Metro ridership. He claimed more people rode the Metro for Trump's inauguration than Obama's. In reality, it was fewer.
Spicer did not answer any questions after his statement. Later, he defended his statements. He said "sometimes we can disagree with the facts." It was reported that President Trump had told Spicer to make these statements. Trump was upset about what he thought was unfair news coverage.
Many people criticized Spicer's statements. One political analyst called it "embarrassing." Vanity Fair said Spicer's statement was "peppered with lies." The Atlantic called his briefing "bizarre." They noted it seemed like a "deliberate attempt to mislead." A journalist from The Washington Post gave Spicer's claims the lowest possible rating for truthfulness.
President Trump's team defended Spicer. A White House aide, Kellyanne Conway, said that Spicer was giving "alternative facts." A reporter responded by saying, "Alternative facts are not facts. They are falsehoods."
First Official Press Conference
Two days later, on January 23, 2017, Spicer held his first official press conference. He answered questions from reporters. When asked about inauguration attendance, he said his definition included people watching on TV and online. He claimed online viewership must have been in the "tens of millions."
Spicer's argument was based on a figure of 16.9 million people who started streaming the inauguration on CNN's website. This argument was criticized because it included people who started watching and then left.
In February 2017, CNN reported that President Trump was not happy with Spicer's performance. Trump was also upset with his chief of staff for recommending Spicer.
Relationship with the Press
As Press Secretary, Spicer often had a difficult relationship with White House reporters. In February 2017, the White House did not allow some news outlets to attend a briefing with Spicer. These outlets included the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times. This decision caused strong objections from the news organizations. It also upset the White House Correspondents' Association.
The Washington Post said that blocking these outlets was "a rare and surprising move." It happened during President Trump's growing disagreements with the media. Reporters from the Associated Press and Time magazine were allowed in. However, they chose not to attend to protest the exclusion of other journalists.
Resignation
On July 21, 2017, Spicer announced he would resign as White House Press Secretary. He made this decision after President Trump appointed Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director. Spicer had wanted a more strategic role in the White House.
Reports said that Trump had been unhappy with Spicer's performance for some time. According to The New York Times, Trump asked Spicer to stay. But Spicer resigned, saying he "vehemently disagreed" with Scaramucci's appointment. Spicer tweeted that it was "an honor and a privilege" to serve Trump. He said he would continue to work at the White House until August 2017. Sarah Sanders was announced as the new White House Press Secretary that same day.
After the White House
After leaving the White House, Spicer was reportedly not offered jobs as a paid contributor at major U.S. TV news networks. Some anonymous sources said this was due to a "lack of credibility."
On September 17, 2017, Spicer made a surprise appearance at the Emmy Awards. He joked about his first press conference. He said the Emmys broadcast would have "the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period." The next week, he gave an interview to The New York Times. He also appeared on Good Morning America. It was also revealed that he kept many notes during his time at the White House.
In December 2017, Spicer announced he would release a book. The book, called The Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President, came out in July 2018. It was about his time with the Trump administration.
In August 2019, Spicer was announced as a contestant on season 28 of Dancing with the Stars. This news caused some concern on social media. Many people at ABC News were also upset. One ABC employee said it was "a slap in the face" to those who dealt with his statements at the White House. Spicer responded by saying Dancing "is an entertainment show. I look forward to having some fun." On the first show, Spicer wore a bright lime green shirt with ruffles. His dance partner's dress had pineapples. They performed a salsa dance. This got a lot of media attention.
In March 2020, Spicer started hosting a political talk show. It was for the channel Newsmax TV and called Spicer & Co. The show ended in April 2023 when Spicer left Newsmax.
Spicer attended President Trump's farewell event on January 20, 2021.
Personal Life
On November 13, 2004, Sean Spicer married Rebecca Miller. At that time, she was a television producer. They got married at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. Spicer and his wife live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have two children. His wife works as a senior vice president for the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Spicer is Roman Catholic.
Images for kids
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Commander rank insignia
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Armed Forces Reserve Medal ribbon
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National Defense Service Medal ribbon
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Defense Meritorious Service Medal ribbon
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Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal ribbon
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Joint Service Achievement Medal ribbon
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Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal ribbon
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Expert Pistol Marksman ribbon
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Global War on Terrorism Service Medal ribbon
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Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal ribbon
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Antarctica Service Medal ribbon
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