Press Secretary Sean Spicer isn't getting shown the door, but he is getting the hook from the podium as the White House plans to have fewer press briefings on the return end of President Trump's trip abroad.

'Sean's not leaving as press secretary, but that they are shaking up the briefings to scale them back,' said a prominent D.C. Republican with close ties to the administration.

The source pointed to Trump addressing reporters Thursday afternoon for the first time in what has been nine days of White House drama, using it as an example of the president 'taking back the handling of his message personally,' the Republican insider said.

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Press Secretary Sean Spicer watches his boss, President Donald Trump, address reporters today alongside Colombia's president. Spicer is expected to play a less visible role in the White House once Trump returns from his first foreign trip

For weeks there have been reports that Trump might dump Spicer, who came onto the Trump team through his work at the Republican National Committee under Chairman Reince Priebus, who now serves as the president's chief of staff.

Spicer, thanks to Melissa McCarthy's portrayal of the press secretary on Saturday Night Live, has become one of the most visible faces of the Trump administration, but for many Americans, she's expertly turned him into a punch line.

He was also responsible for a mega-gaffe last month when he more favorably compared Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad during a press briefing.

He promptly apologized.

The incident, as well as a number of unsourced quotes, fueled rumors that Spicer was on deck for an ouster, but at the same time, Trump has been hinting that he wants to cut down on briefings, which Politico pointed out, are his least favorite part of the day.

Conversations about a retooling of the White House communications department have ramped up over the past week, Politico also reported, with an unnamed source saying 'the status quo won't continue.'

Though, DailyMail.com's source says, at least for now, it won't result in a 'you're fired' offed at Spicer, but instead a less publicly visible role.

And in 'this town' insider Washington, Spicer has become a sympathetic character, forced to deal with a difficult president and subject to his whims and abuse.

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank wrote a column this week charging 'Trump has sucked the lifeblood out of Sean Spicer.'

'Alas, poor Spicer! I knew him well,' Milbank opined. 'He was one of the top Republican flacks in town, affable and quick-witted, always happy to dish with reporters off the record.'

'I liked him. I still like him – or at least that Spicer I knew before he answered Donald Trump’s call,' Milbank said.

Trump's split from his communications team was especially visible this week.

As they sent out a more measured statement in response to Wednesday night's news that the deputy attorney general had decided to appoint a special counsel to the Russia probe, a combative Trump stepped on that message, using Twitter, Thursday morning.

'With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed!' Trump said, calling the Russia probe 'the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!'

The president continued beating that drum all day.

Meanwhile, Spicer stood to the side as Trump took questions from reporters.

Spicer did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment.