[Whitfield:] All right, welcome back. We're continuing to follow the shakeup in President Trump's communications team. Sean Spicer is out as press secretary, and there's a new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci. We did not immediately hear from Spicer about his resignation, but he did appear on FOX News last night. Here's what he had to say about his departure.
[Sean Hannity, Fox News:] You started sharing the podium with Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Anthony Scaramucci comes in. Did you feel in any way this was against you, did you feel you were pushed out in any way, or this was just totally your decision?
[Sean Spicer, Former White House Press Secretary:] No. As you mentioned, the president obviously wanted to add to the team more than anything. I just think it was in the best interest of our communications department, of our press organization to not have too many cooks in the kitchen.
[Whitfield:] Joining me right now Alice Stewart, former communications director for Ted Cruz back with us. Good to see you. She's also a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist.
[Alice Stewart, Cnn Political Commentator:] Hi, Fred.
[Whitfield:] So as a former communications director yourself, what has been your reaction to the shakeup within the communications team?
[Stewart:] Fred, I think we all realized this day was going to happen and it was just a matter of time before there was some shakeup or transition within the White House and specifically the communications team. I think Sean did a stellar job with regard to defending the president and getting the president's message out there. But the president clearly wants someone like Scaramucci who will fully support the president, as we heard many times yesterday. He loves the president. He's very energetic. He's clearly someone that looks the part. And the president trusts him to do the job moving forward of communicating the message that the White House wants to communicate. The one thing I question is whether or not he is going to serve more as a spokesperson role in addition to Sarah, who's done a phenomenal job, but we also need someone there as a communications director who works on the short and long term strategy, working with the policy team, working with the DOJ, working with the various aspects of the White House and the administration to look at their strategy and how they're going to further their legislative accomplishments, and daily and weekly and monthly laying out the communications strategy. That's something that's so critical. And a key of communications is to plan your work and work your plan. And hopefully Scaramucci will take on that role in addition to what he did yesterday speaking so supportively of the president.
[Whitfield:] So even though Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the press secretary and, you know, spokesperson you're going to see from the briefing room, you see potentially their roles will be interchangeable, that Scaramucci might be taking to the podium just as he did yesterday fairly regularly? It remains to be seen. Look, as I said, Sarah's done a phenomenal job. Clearly the new communications director is comfortable in that role. He clearly has rapport and relationships with the White House press corps. And he's done a great job on many of the talk shows. And this is someone as we've seen reports this morning that the president was really pleased with his performance at the briefing yesterday. And that's critical. At the end of the day those in the comm shop are working for and addressing and answering to an audience of one, which is the president of the United States. And Scaramucci did that yesterday, made some great brownie points with his boss. And that's important. And not only showing support for what the president does but defending his what he says on Twitter, what he says out there on television and in interviews, that is a key component of the communications job. So the relationship between, you know, the press secretary and the press corps there, I mean, words have been used like contentious and tenuous. Do you see that it may be less so or more so in the days ahead?
[Stewart:] That also remains to be seen. Look, oftentimes what happens with this president, he did a phenomenal job throughout the campaign in the general and in the primary of using social media, using Twitter in order to get his message out there and in many ways bypass the media.
[Whitfield:] Sorry to interrupt, but already we've seen Scaramucci do the same thing with tweets. He tweeted out today saying that all the full transparency, here it is, I'm deleting old tweets, past views, evolved and shouldn't be a distraction. I serve the president of the United States agenda and that's all that matters. So both in concert the president and Scaramucci saying there's a power in a tweet.
[Stewart:] And that was important for him to do that simply because as he deleted those tweets reporters would have found out about that and made a story of it. But it was important for him to be transparent as to why he did what he did. And sure people's views evolve. But while we're on the subject of Twitter, today alone the president has tweeted 11 times, and six of them have been on the Russia investigation. And that is something that the comm shop, I think it's critical for them if in any way, shape or form they can scale back the president being off message, because this week we were to be talking about made in America and working to repeal and replace Obamacare. Today he gave a phenomenal but speech at the commissioning of the USS Gerald Ford as we covered it live. Those are the great things that they should be talking about and will help ingratiate the president with not just his base but people across America. And so hopefully the comm shop can help him, the president stay on message on the key issues that people are concerned with and off continuing to further the discussion about Russia.
[Whitfield:] We're going to leave it there. Alice Stewart, always good to see you, thanks so much.
[Stewart:] Thanks, fred.
[Whitfield:] And don't miss "State of the Union" tomorrow. Anthony Scaramucci sits down with Jake Tapper at 9:00 a.m. right here on CNN. We'll be right back.