'Holy Smokes, What's That Ding?' How Sean Spicer's White House Trials Taught Him to Trust God

WASHINGTON – For former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, each day at the White House usually proved to be an adventure, especially under the famous "Twitter in chief."

According to Spicer, it was just another day in the life working for President Donald Trump.

"For the first few days you're kind of going, 'Holy smokes, what's that ding?' because you get that little notification sent," Spicer recalled. "Then you get used to it. It becomes a new normal. He was going to be the communicator in chief."

It's something Spicer eventually came to admire about the president.

"He understands messaging and positioning probably better than any politician I've ever seen," he told CBN News.

But Spicer says he doesn't think Trump is necessarily toying with the media.

"I don't think he's playing them," said Spicer. "I think he understands them. He understands the art of it."
 
During Spicer's time in the White House briefing room, things often got testy with members of the media, making him question if the daily briefing truly serves a purpose anymore.

"I don't know if the utility of the daily on-camera press briefing is serving anyone's purpose anymore," he said. "It takes hours and hours for the staff to prepare the press secretary for that and the media comes in with their sort of rehearsed gotcha questions."

"There are a lot of people in there that are good solid journalists that come every day looking to tell a story, to get to the facts, to understand what's happening," he acknowledged. "But then there are people in there unquestionably that do have an agenda."

Many media types attacked Spicer's credibility, citing inaccuracies on some stories.

"I make mistakes. I think we all do, sometimes more publicly than privately, but I think what bothered me sometimes is that they would question your motives or integrity," he said.

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" would mock him almost weekly – trials that made him lean on his Catholic faith even more.

"What I really learned is that it really reaffirmed my faith and trust in God," Spicer told CBN News. "There is a plan. You just need to be willing to follow it, have patience and know that there's a larger plan at stake."

The plan was definitely not to be a distraction.

"For me, being in the spotlight, being in the center of these things was not something that I ever wanted," he revealed. "The staff is never supposed to be the story."
 
To be sure, Trump is the story. When asked if he's a "character," Spicer grinned, saying, "He is."

Even so, he believes the president delivers for the American people, which Spicer thinks will translate into success in the fall midterms.

"I think about the third week of July, if the economy is continuing to show real signs of robustness, then I think Republicans are going to do just fine," he predicted. "We'll pick up a seat or two in the Senate and I think we'll hold the House."
 
Nowadays, he is in the role of political analyst, public speaker and a soon-to-be author, with a book coming up this summer detailing his time in the White House. It's a time he doesn't miss, although he watches his replacement, Sarah Sanders, from time to time.

"I couldn't be prouder to see her up there, although admittedly I don't watch it as much so the times that I see it or see clips, she's doing fantastic," Spicer said with a smile on his face.

Then, pausing for a moment, he reflects, "I like being a viewer better than a briefer.