It’s not easy for most news outlets to get White House press secretary Sean Spicer in front of a camera these days. After all, the Trump administration has banned live video broadcasts of its press briefings, and Spicer himself has largely retreated from the spotlight following a string of gaffes and public humiliations.
But the Christian Broadcasting Network, televangelist Pat Robertson’s media company, seemed to have no trouble landing an on-camera interview with President Trump’s increasingly elusive spokesman.
On Wednesday, CBN launched a politics-focused online talk show called “Faith Nation,” and Spicer was the inaugural guest.
“No cameras at the press briefing, no problem,” read a post promoting his interview.
The eight-minute segment, streamed on Facebook live, began with an overture from host Juan Garcia, CBN’s social media correspondent. “Today we bring the press briefing room to you,” he said. “And guess what? The cameras are on.”
Spicer appeared via a video feed standing under the hot morning sun in the White House courtyard, where he fielded friendly questions about health care, the Russia scandal, the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv — and, of course, controversy over the administration’s decision not to hold televised press briefings.
“You’re must-see TV. You’re like the ‘Seinfeld’ of television politics,” host David Brody gushed. “Give us the sense of how you decide there what’s going to be on-camera and off-camera.”
“We brief every day,” Spicer responded. “For some individuals, they want everything on camera every day.”
Apparently lacking even the slightest sense of irony, CBN then cut to background footage of Spicer fielding questions from reporters in an on-camera briefing. Spicer continued talking.
“I think for a lot of folks that they’re more interested in getting a clip to put on the Internet, to put on their news, and we’re not,” he said. “We’re interested in making sure we communicate with the American people, that we give the press an opportunity to get their questions answered. But we’re not here to make it a spectacle either.”
Spicer has appeared in the White House briefing room just once since late June, taking questions from reporters on Monday in an off-camera conference. The White House stopped holding on-camera briefings on June 29.
Trump has not held a formal news conference since the early days of his administration, instead speaking mostly with Fox News, where he is held in high regard. A few days before Spicer’s interview with “Faith Nation,” he appeared on CBN’s “700 Club” for a cozy conversation with Robertson, one of the evangelical community’s biggest Trump boosters.
In his talk with “Faith Nation,” Spicer touched on the congressional Republicans’ failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, saying Trump planned to “keep fighting.”
When the hosts asked him about the investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Spicer deflected, shifting the discussion back to health care, tax reform and other issues. He lamented that Trump’s “Made in America” week, which kicked off to little fanfare Monday, didn’t get much attention from national news outlets — but that was par for the course, he said.
“That’s one of those challenges that we face,” he said, “breaking through and talking to local and regional reporters and outlets, because I think that’s where we get our bang for our buck.”
The hosts closed the segment with a question from CBN viewers: “They want to know how they can pray for you.”
“Honestly, any time that someone says that they’re praying, that’s a very meaningful thing,” Spicer said. “I appreciate any and all of it.”
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