Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, has already had a series of combative encounters with journalists.

He had held the title for just hours when he stormed into the briefing room to lambast the press over coverage of President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Some of the claims made by Mr Spicer, including that a ground covering had been used for the first time which made the crowds look smaller, were later shown to be inaccurate.

One of his colleagues, senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, defended him, saying he was merely stating "alternative facts".