White House press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned after opposing President Donald Trump‘s appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, NBC News has confirmed with two people familiar with the matter.
The New York Times first reported the news.
The president asked Spicer to stay in his role, but Spicer said appointing Scaramucci was a major mistake, the Times reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the conversation.
Spicer’s departure comes six months into the Trump administration. His daily press briefings, often featuring tense exchanges with reporters, were frequently carried live on multiple networks.
Earlier, a source close to the White House told NBC that Scaramucci met with Trump and it went well. In the meeting, Scaramucci was offered the role of communications director and accepted it, according to multiple reports.
When NBC asked its source whether Trump would change his mind, the person said the president’s mind is made up.
But Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus and top adviser Steve Bannon had resisted the appointment, NBC reported Friday. It said the two were kept out of the loop on the decision.
This story is developing. Please check back for further updates.