In his first press briefing as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer reiterated his claim that the 20 January Trump inauguration being the most-watched Presidential swearing-in event till date.
“Our intention is never to lie to you,” he said.
There are times when you guys [the media] publish corrections, doesn’t mean you were intentionally trying to deceive readers and the American people. I think we should be afforded the same opportunity.
Spicer added that he thinks trust is a two-way street.
There are many mistakes the media makes all the time. They misreport something, they don’t report something. I think we all try to do our best job with a degree of integrity in our respective industries.
Spicer’s statements come two days after he rubbished claims that Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration had drawn a smaller crowd as compared to that of Barack Obama’s.
Also Read: Despite Trump’s Boasts, Obama’s Inauguration Drew Far Bigger Crowd
‘Skype Seats for Journalists’
During the meet, Spicer announced plans to establish four ‘Skype seats’ inside the press briefing room at the White House.
The seats will give access to journalists outside the US capital.
Unemployment Rates, US-Russia Ties
When asked about unemployment rates in the country, Spicer said that Trump was "not focused on statistics" but rather "if people are doing better off."
He also said that the US was open to working with Russia to counter the Islamic State. “I think if there's a way that we can combat ISIS with any country, whether its Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we'll take it,” he said.
(With inputs from NBC News and PTI)
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