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Sean Spicer Rudely Called Out a Black Female Journalist During a Press Briefing

Sean Spicer is not new to controversy. The White House Press Secretary has made up a terrorist attack, helped block multiple media outlets from a press briefing and checked his own team’s phones for possible information leaks.

But during a press briefing Tuesday, Sean Spicer set a new standard of unprofessionalism when he spoke down to a reporter. April Ryan, White House correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, was rudely talked down to and belittled—again. According to Cosmopolitan, Ryan asked Spicer what steps the Trump Administration were planning to take in order to restore their image, after reports leaked that Trump may have had close ties with Russia during the 2016 Presidential election.

“I appreciate your agenda here. At some point, report the facts,” Spicer responded. “The facts are that every single person who has been briefed on this subject has come away with the same conclusion—Republican, Democrat—so I’m sorry that that disgusts you.” He added, “You’re shaking your head, I appreciate it,” Cosmopolitan reports.

The heated exchange only escalated from there. Spicer ended the conversation by throwing some shade. “If the president put Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that’s a Russian connection,” Spicer said.

The rude remarks were noted by many, especially on Twitter, but Ryan handled the situation with poise and grace. According to NBC News, Ryan told MSNBC, “I understand what Sean is doing—Sean is being the White House press secretary, talking about and trying to make this administration look better than what it does right now and, unfortunately, I was road kill today.”

Later on Tuesday, Ryan tweeted a one-word response that perfectly sums up every female reporter’s feelings towards the Trump administration.

Follow Lauryn Higgins on Twitter or Instagram @laurynhiggins.

Lauryn is a 2014 graduate of Mars Hill University where she majored in Business with a concentration in marketing and finance. While in college Lauryn was the Founder and Editor of Her Campus Mars Hill. She is currently a candidate for her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She lives for a good plot twist, a great cup of coffee and new running shoes.