Spicer: 'Our intention is never to lie to you' The White House press secretary also doubles down on his claim that Trump's inauguration drew the largest audience ever.

The White House’s intention is never to lie, press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday, moments before doubling down on his claim that President Donald Trump’s inauguration drew the largest audience “both in person and around the globe.”

Days after delivering a five-minute statement to the press in which he stated at least five demonstrably false so-called facts and took no questions, Spicer was challenged on what his role is as the White House press secretary at his first official briefing.


“Is it your intention to always tell the truth from that podium? And will you pledge never to knowingly say something that is not factual?” ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked Monday.

“It is. It’s an honor to do this, and yes, I believe that we have to be honest with the American people,” Spicer told reporters. “I think sometimes we can disagree with the facts. There are certain things that we may not fully understand when we come out, but our intention is never to lie to you.”

Trump and his top aides took heat over the weekend for false claims they made to the press corps about the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration, which counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway described Sunday as “alternative facts.”

On Saturday, Spicer falsely claimed that Trump garnered “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period — both in person and around the globe.” He also misstated the presence of magnetometers, inaccurately portrayed D.C. Metro data and incorrectly claimed that floor coverings were used for the first time Friday, supposedly accentuating areas where people weren’t standing.

“You’re saying it’s a falsehood,” Conway told host Chuck Todd of NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that.”

On Monday, Spicer indicated his unprecedented rebuke of the news media from the White House briefing room was the culmination of frustration from Trump and his staff on how the political outsider who’s ascended to the presidency has for months been rendered in the media.

Spicer went through a stream of headlines that have continually doubted Trump and his decisions: he can’t win the Republican nomination, he can’t beat Hillary Clinton in a general election, he won’t win this state or that state, his crowds aren’t that big, he isn’t that successful a businessman, Spicer recalled.

“The default narrative is always negative, and it’s demoralizing,” he said, pleading for fairer news coverage. “Sometimes we’ll make mistakes — I promise you that. But it’s not always gotta be negative. Some days we do do the right thing. Some days we are successful. Part of this is saying when we’re right, say we’re right. When we’re wrong, say we’re wrong. But it’s not always wrong and negative.”

Spicer likened his statement over the weekend to a mistake by a reporter or news outlet that calls for a correction, suggesting his aim wasn’t to lie — much like mistakes in the media aren’t intentional — but that he relied on faulty data, specifically with statistics about Metro ridership compared to past inaugurations.

“At the time, the information that I was provided by the inaugural committee came from an outside agency that we reported on,” he explained about ridership numbers. “And I think knowing what we know now, we can tell that WMATA’s numbers are different, but we were trying to provide numbers that we had been provided. That wasn't like we made them up out of thin air.”

Nevertheless, he also doubled down on his claim of Trump’s inauguration being the most viewed ever, though he stated it in a slightly different fashion. Citing Nielsen ratings and CNN’s reported online viewership, Spicer asserted that “it’s unquestionable” that Trump’s was the most watched, if one adds up in-person attendance, and TV and online viewership. “And I don’t see any numbers that dispute that,” he said.

Spicer, as the public spokesman of the Trump administration, vowed to do his best every week and share “the facts as I know them” at his daily briefings, promising that the White House will correct their mistakes, if necessary.

He also seemed to confirm reports and speculation that he was directed by the president to deliver his angry reproach Saturday.

“I came out to read a statement, I did it,” he said. “We’re here today. I'm gonna stay here as long as you want. I think you guys might want to leave before I do. But, look, I want to make sure that we have a healthy relationship.”