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Sean Spicer has reportedly resigned as Donald Trump’s Press Secretary after the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as director of communications.
The President had asked Mr Spicer to stay on, according to The New York Times, but Mr Spicer told the President that the appointment of Mr Scaramucci was a major mistake.
Mr Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and longtime supporter of Mr Trump, will replace Mike Dubke, who resigned from the job in May amid fallout from primarily Russia-related scandals.
During the transition, Mr Trump had planned to appoint Mr Scaramucci as director of his office of public liaison, but the offer was pulled at the request of Mr Priebus over concerns about the financier’s overseas investments, The Times reported.
Mr Spicer’s resignation comes after Mr Trump also reshuffled his personal legal team, which is building the President’s defence against allegations of collusion with the Russian government around the 2016 election.
Jonathan Karl, the chief White House correspondent for ABC News, tweeted that when he went to ask Mr Spicer a question about Mr Scaramucci, the Press Secretary “slammed the door” in his face.
Minutes later, it was reported that Mr Spicer had resigned.
Throughout his six-month tenure as the White House Press Secretary, Mr Spicer became known for his combative style with the press that inspired a caricature of him on “Saturday Night Live”.
A former Republican National Committee spokesman and strategist, Mr Spicer was on the frontlines defending Mr Trump’s directives and decisions, from the controversial travel ban to the President’s abrupt firing of James Comey as FBI Director in May.
Mr Scaramucci and Mr Spicer’s replacement will be joining the administration when friction between the White House and the press is at a high. Mr Trump has criticised several news organisations, and communications staff has received backlash for holding fewer on-camera briefings. Mr Spicer has said the change is meant to draw more attention to the President’s remarks, but some reporters have asserted that the White House “should have the backbone” to answer questions during on-camera proceedings.