Donald Trump’s first White Housepress secretary has warned America to “buckle up” because the president-elect will take “Washington by storm.”
Sean Spicer, who resigned in 2017 after he disagreed with the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci to the role of White House communications director, reflected on Trump’s pick of Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary.
“I said this morning, if you are shocked or surprised by the appointment of Pete Hegseth last night as Secretary of Defense, buckle up baby, because it’s going, we got a lot more coming your way,” Spicer told NewsNation’s The Hill on Wednesday.
“And I think the policies, the people, and the process are going to take Washington by storm,” he added.
When asked whether he believed Trump would have a Senate confirmation process to name controversial former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as his attorney general, Spicer said, “Maybe not.”
Trump has already applied pressure on the next Senate Majority leader to allow him to make recess appointments so he can fast-track positions without Senate approval.
“They could recess appointment him right away,” Spicer added.
Spicer also shared some advice for Trump’s next press secretary, who he has not named yet. In an op-ed for The Hill, Spicer said it was important to check in with Trump “frequently.”
“First, always have the most up-to-date information on what the president thinks on policy and personnel matters. Check in with him frequently, and double-check if you have to. He is his own best spokesman,” he wrote.
“Despite what staff may say, the decision is always his, and the exact words communicating a decision or announcement are critical.”
Trump is in the process of filling key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.
Naming Gaetz as nominee for attorney general was one of the more shocking announcements, potentially handing him the top law enforcement position in the country that Trump has promised to utilize to seek revenge on his opponents and enemies.
Gaetz, a Trump loyalist and controversial figure in Congress, was subject to a Justice Department investigation into allegations of sex trafficking. He was ultimately never charged with a crime, and always denied any wrongdoing, but was under a House ethics investigation until he resigned from the House on Wednesday.
There are calls for the ethics report to be released.
Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard, a veteran and former Democratic congresswoman who promoted conspiracy theories about the U.S.’s involvement in Ukraine, has been selected to head the U.S. intelligence community, while Marco Rubio was officially chosen to serve as Trump’s Secretary of State on November 13 after much speculation.
