Spicer, who has served as the White House Press Secretary since the beginning of the Trump administration, resigned from his post on Friday.

According to officials quoted by the New York Times, Spicer had "vehemently disagreed" with the president over the hiring of Wall Street financier Scaramucci as new communications director.

Sarah Sanders: The White House's new press secretary

Taking the podium for the first time, Scaramucci told reporters that Spicer would be replaced by White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"We're at the point where" the president "could benefit from a clean slate," Spicer told the Associated Press following the announcement of his departure.

He added that he felt it would be best for Scaramucci to be able to build his own operation "and chart a new way forward."

Spicer tweeted that it had been "an honor and a privilege to serve," and that he would continue in the role through August.

President Donald Trump said in a statement ready by Sanders that he was "grateful for Sean's work on behalf of my administration and the American people."

"I wish him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities. Just look at his great television ratings!"

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Best inauguration ever. Period. Sean Spicer was off to an unfortunate and tumultuous start when on the day after US President Donald Trump's inauguration he claimed that Trump had attracted "the largest audience to ever witness the inauguration. Period." It later took reporters a mere comparison of pictures between Obama's inauguration and Trump's to debunk Spicer's far-fetched claim.

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Alternative Facts Spicer doubled down on his claims regarding the size of the crowds at Trump's inauguration, telling reporters: "I think sometimes we can disagree with the facts." Trump Counselor Kellyanne Conway famously defended Spicer by saying that the administration was merely providing "alternative facts."

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Don't mention the war One of the biggest gaffes in his short-lived career at the White House came when Spicer alleged that even "someone as despicable as Hitler (…) didn't even sink to using chemical weapons" in war. The press was quick to refresh his memory that Hitler's regime did, in fact, kill millions of people using chemical agents in death camps. Spicer later had to apologize for the remarks.

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary What's your name again? Sean Spicer appears to be one of those people who happens to be better with faces than names. On several occasions, Spicer got the names of some of the world's most important leaders wrong. "The president had a(n) incredibly productive set of meetings and discussions with Prime Minister Joe Trudeau of Canada," Spicer famously said about Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau.

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Trump and Trumpall Spicer's inability to get names right also kicked in when he spoke about Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: "The President had a very cordial conversation with Prime Minister Trumpall," Spicer told reporters. He almost appeared to somehow be aware of his mistake, stumbling over the name not just once but twice within 10 seconds.

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Covfefe-gate While Spicer has his issues with words and names his boss hasn't exactly proven to be a lover of accuracy either. In May, Trump famously tweeted the term "negative press covfefe." While most poeple assumed this was just a typo Spicer took it to the next level, alarming conspiracy theorists around the world by saying: "I think the president and a small group of people knew exactly what he meant."

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Check your privilege Spicer took on some classical overtones when he argued with reporters whether Trump's travel ban on Muslims coming from six Middle Eastern countries was the right course to take, saying: "Being able to come to America is a privilege, not a right." Tourism to the US has meanwhile suffered notably since the Trump administration took over.

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Spicer's doppelganger Spicer's place in popular culture has been also been cemented - in no small part - by US actress Melissa McCarthy's priceless impersonations of him on the US sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live." Imitating his often aggressive style of conduct, McCarthy nailed Spicer's belligerent press conferences, his penchant for chewing gum, and even managed to give him a new nickname: Spicey

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Spicing it up for Trump Even President Trump himself, who has found plenty of fault in several officials he had appointed to key government positions, never regretted having Sean Spicer on board. When asked about whether he could keep someone as controversial as Spicer in the team for the long haul, Trump told the Washington Post: "I’m not firing Sean Spicer. That guy gets great ratings. Everyone tunes in."

Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary Exit Spicer Sean Spicer leaves his role as White House Press Secretary without telling the press what his plans are for the future. Maybe he will find a way to monetize on his ability to tweet out his passwords (like he did less than a week after Trump's inauguration), or perhaps he will bury the hatchet with pop band "Daft Punk" whom he had accused in 2014 of failing to "grow up." We wish him all the best. Author: Sertan Sanderson



A bridge too far?

According to the NBC news network, Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus and the president's top adviser Steve Bannon had resisted Scaramucci's appointment. NBC said the two men were kept out of the loop on the decision, but Priebus told the Associated Press that he and Scaramucci are "very good friends" and that he supports the appointment "100 percent."

Read more - Stephen Bannon: The White House's 'Darth Vader'

DW's Washington correspondent Maya Shwayder said Trump's decision to hire Scaramucci appeared to have been the breaking point for Spicer.

Anthony Scaramucci addresses the press

"As speculation has been swirling for months now that Spicer was either going to step down or be fired, this seems to have been a bridge too far for him," said Shwayder.

Spicer had led communications at the Republican National Committee (RNC) before helping Trump's campaign in the US presidential election. He is said to be close to Priebus, who is former chair of the RNC.

Once mooted for business post

The communications post has been empty since the previous communications director Mike Dubke resigned in May.

Financier Scaramucci had once expected to become head of the White House office that coordinates outreach to business groups and other lobbyists. That plan was killed after questions arose over the sale of Scaramucci's hedge fund.

Spicer's often combative daily press briefings had become popular viewing until recent weeks, when he took on a less prominent role. Spicer's deputy and replacement, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, had largely taken over with many of the briefings taking place off-camera.

History of gaffes

During his time as press secretary, Spicer made a number of gaffes that saw the media spotlight turned on him, rather than the policies of the Trump administration.

Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer on 'Saturday Night Live'

In his debut appearance in the press briefing room, he attacked journalists for reporting what he called inaccurate crowd numbers at Trump's inauguration. "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe," he said, drawing scorn from the media.

Spicer's performance before the press corps was memorably parodied by actress Melissa McCarthy on "Saturday Night Live," and he soon became one of the most recognizable figures in Trump's team.

In April, Spicer had to apologize for making an "inappropriate and insensitive" statement in which he favorably compared Adolf Hitler to Syrian President Bashar Assad. Spicer suggested that Hitler "didn't even sink to using chemical weapons."

rc,nm/rt (AP, Reuters)