Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

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October 4, 2022
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Sean Spicer values relatable imaging over facts

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Courtesy of The White House

Imagine if Archie Bunker went to Washington and was given a fancy suit. You have an idea of who White House press secretary Sean Spicer is. 

Spicer begins his first official press briefing with typical formalities then quickly states in the video, “But before I get to the news of the day, I think I’d like to discuss a little bit of the coverage of the last 24 hours.”

With that line alone, Spicer repositions the media as a misbehaving child who needs to be lectured on manners while he assumes the role of the disciplinary parental figure. His words are not only chastising, but his delivery resembles a bark more than human speech. His refusal to take questions from the press reveals his temperament and foreshadows his relationship with the media. Spicer has put his foot down, only one day into the job.


It didn’t take long for people to note his abnormal behavior, and some have even taken the liberty to tease his ill-fitting suit. Spicer is a living caricature of the stereotypical blue-collar patriarch who just wants a beer and some goddamn peace-n’-quiet when he gets home after slaving away in the factory. In fact, he isn’t here to twist his words so that they make sense to our liberal logic; what gives him authority in Trump’s administration is how relatable he is to the people who voted him in office in the first place. 

If you’re like me, stuck in a perpetual liberal sphere, Trump’s election might’ve felt like a punch to the gut. It didn’t make sense to me how anyone could vote for him, but I assumed that the U.S. is like Austin. But my biggest mistake was that I forgot about America’s white working class — and so did the Democrats. 

According to an article from Vox, professor and author Justin Gest argues that the white working class has felt a loss of their own voice, power and identity in American politics. Part of that stems from a phenomenon called “union hangover.” Unions used to provide a political voice to these individuals, but they have largely declined since the 1980s, thanks in large part to the daddy of Conservatives, President Ronald Reagan himself. 

When you take this into consideration, it’s easy to be seduced by Trump because he promises a reversal of time back when you could feed a family of four through a factory worker’s salary. His campaign was built on hooking these constituents, and Spicer’s job is to make sure they stay. Heck, he’s already suggested holding a Facebook Live or Reddit AMA conference so he can directly speak to the American people. 

His defensive demeanor, patriarchal attitude and sloppy way of dressing deliberately distinguishes him from what you’d expect in a typical Washington bureaucrat. In doing so, Spicer has cut cordial ties with the media, but that shouldn’t matter too much when plenty of Trump supporters already distrust the media. In other words, his caricature creates a contrast of us versus them where he aligns himself as part of the white working class, which sends the message that Trump’s administration works for the people’s interests. 

At the end of the day, Spicer’s job is to be the spokesman of the president and the White House, and he’s performing his role as you would expect. What I have to recognize is that he was never meant to represent me, but at least I have the capacity to use my own voice instead of relying on theirs. 

Fernandez is a rhetoric and writing and Spanish senior from Allen.

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Sean Spicer values relatable imaging over facts