University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato is not sure whether this (Sean Spicer vs. the Press) is a long-term strategy or a tactic designed to divert attention from self-generated controversies.
He’s proven the ‘value of devil figures’, says Sabato. “Against all odds, he catapulted into the Presidency by skilfully using a series of devils (Obama, Clinton, Mexicans, Muslims, China). To keep his 46% together, he must continue to target a great big devil figure. The news media does nicely.”
(James Warren, Chief Media Writer, Poynter.org, writing for the Warren Report in Vanity Fair’s Hive, 23 January 2017)