Free Sean Spicer

All of Trump’s displeasure with Spicer has been leaked to the media, and telegraphing firings or divorces through the press has been a Trump trademark. But even if the leaks are happening against the president’s wishes, the result is still the same — the knives are out. A report on CNN Tuesday night asserted that Trump ‘“regrets” having hired Spicer but relented after chief of staff and Spicer ally Reince Priebus lobbied for him. Trump reportedly wanted a woman and candidates included Fox News’ Kimberly Guilfoyle, Monica Crowley, Laura Ingraham and now counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, who turned it down.

The truth is, after Spicer attempted a reset with the press in the first full week of the administration, he performed well, articulating policy with ease, answering numerous questions — often several per reporter — all in good cheer and on message. He has more relationships with reporters than most of the other job candidates and is a helpful bridge to the press. More importantly, when not being abused, he can hold his own on the most critical topics; Spicer not only holds a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies, he once served as assistant U.S. trade representative for media and public affairs during the Bush administration.

But Trump will likely continue to undermine him, as he has since day one. Against the advice of aides, Trump marched Spicer out to sully his credibility with false statements about crowd size, including a final declaration that “any attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong.” Spicer’s sacrifice, likely one of the worst moments of his life, reportedly didn’t satisfy his boss. According to The Washington Post, “In Trump’s mind Sean Spicer’s attack on the media was not forceful enough.”