Alternative Facts

Press Secretary Sean Spicer

At the first White House press briefing, new Press Secretary Sean Spicer chose to berate the press and lie about crowd size at the inauguration. He then declined to take any questions. A ridiculous start to a relationship that should benefit both sides. 

The Press Secretary's job is to act as the spokesperson for the US administration, especially the President, senior executives and on policies. This person consolidates and summarizes what is going on in the government, particularly the executive branch. It's a one stop conduit for the press on many matters and on an almost daily basis. The White House is able to get out their message to a large segment of the press with a singular voice and in an efficient manner. The press gets the news straight from the horse's mouth in a public forum. They usually get to ask questions for clarification or addition information. It is a win-win situation.

For the Press Secretary to start a fight with and lie to the press corps right off the bat seems a counter-intuitive strategy. Or is it actually strategy or just another knee-jerk reaction from Trump?

Trump @ CIA Headquarters

Trump's first official visit to a government agency was to the CIA. There again he brought up the inaugural crowd size issue, a trivial issue at best. It is also an issue that has nothing to do with the CIA, national intelligence or security. He also said that the "unfair" press had created the so-called rift between Trump and the intelligence community. Looking back at Trump's tweets and statements, it certainly seems to me that Trump started the dustup. Later, he and his minions bragged about the size of the CIA crowd.

Kellyanne Conway

On the Sunday political shows, Reince Priebus and Kellyanne Conway both defended the crowd size statements. Conway even invoked a new term, "alternative facts" to explain Spicer's lie about crowd size. Put this new term in your vocabulary right next to "post-truth". 

Amazingly, Conway eventually gave many reasons why inaugural crowd size is unimportant. Exactly, so why bring it up at all, let alone lie about it at the CIA and a press briefing? The whole issue would have faded away in a few hours if Trump and Spicer had left it alone. Unfortunately, Trump can not let even the smallest slight pass without a reply. 

After a contentious and confrontational inaugural speech, Trump and his administration took that confrontation to the White House briefing room and the CIA. 

It's going to be a very bumpy, alternative facts, post-truth ride.

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