The cameras will be off at Foggy Bottom for at least a few more days as the State Department continues to transition from the Obama administration to live under President Trump.
“We anticipate the Department of State will resume normal press briefings on Monday, Jan. 30,” a State Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
That leaves White House press secretary Sean Spicer as the sole public voice of the Trump administration, at least for now. Spicer delivered his first full press briefing on Tuesday, and topics ranged from Trump’s formal decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the unemployment rate to whether Trump intends to carry out his call for the U.S. to take Iraq’s oil.
“I think what the president has been very clear about in foreign policy is too often the United States is going in with a lot of money, a lot of manpower, and in many cases losing both loss of life. And we want to make sure that our interests are protected if we are going into a country for a cause,” Spicer said. “I think he wants to make sure that America is getting something out of it for the commitment and the sacrifice that we’re making.”
Spicer won praise from some reporters for his willingness to discuss policy issues to a greater degree than previous press secretaries, although the nature of the White House briefing means foreign policy questions didn’t receive the same focus as a typical State Department briefing.
“We’ll continue to provide updates to the press corps throughout the week,” the State Department spokesperson said. “As per standard practice, the State Department is working with the new administration to ensure a smooth transition.”
