Sean Spicer's spiciest moments as White House press secretary

Sean Spicer was off to an unfortunate and tumultuous start when on the day after US President Donald Trump's inauguration he claimed that Trump had attracted "the largest audience to ever witness the inauguration. Period." It later took reporters a mere comparison of pictures between Obama's inauguration and Trump's to debunk Spicer's far-fetched claim.

Spicer doubled down on his claims regarding the size of the crowds at Trump's inauguration, telling reporters: "I think sometimes we can disagree with the facts." Trump Counselor Kellyanne Conway famously defended Spicer by saying that the administration was merely providing "alternative facts."

One of the biggest gaffes in his short-lived career at the White House came when Spicer alleged that even "someone as despicable as Hitler (…) didn't even sink to using chemical weapons" in war. The press was quick to refresh his memory that Hitler's regime did, in fact, kill millions of people using chemical agents in death camps. Spicer later had to apologize for the remarks.

Sean Spicer appears to be one of those people who happens to be better with faces than names. On several occasions, Spicer got the names of some of the world's most important leaders wrong. "The president had a(n) incredibly productive set of meetings and discussions with Prime Minister Joe Trudeau of Canada," Spicer famously said about Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau.

Spicer's inability to get names right also kicked in when he spoke about Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: "The President had a very cordial conversation with Prime Minister Trumpall," Spicer told reporters. He almost appeared to somehow be aware of his mistake, stumbling over the name not just once but twice within 10 seconds.

While Spicer has his issues with words and names his boss hasn't exactly proven to be a lover of accuracy either. In May, Trump famously tweeted the term "negative press covfefe." While most poeple assumed this was just a typo Spicer took it to the next level, alarming conspiracy theorists around the world by saying: "I think the president and a small group of people knew exactly what he meant."

Spicer took on some classical overtones when he argued with reporters whether Trump's travel ban on Muslims coming from six Middle Eastern countries was the right course to take, saying: "Being able to come to America is a privilege, not a right." Tourism to the US has meanwhile suffered notably since the Trump administration took over.

Spicer's place in popular culture has been also been cemented - in no small part - by US actress Melissa McCarthy's priceless impersonations of him on the US sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live." Imitating his often aggressive style of conduct, McCarthy nailed Spicer's belligerent press conferences, his penchant for chewing gum, and even managed to give him a new nickname: Spicey

Even President Trump himself, who has found plenty of fault in several officials he had appointed to key government positions, never regretted having Sean Spicer on board. When asked about whether he could keep someone as controversial as Spicer in the team for the long haul, Trump told the Washington Post: "I’m not firing Sean Spicer. That guy gets great ratings. Everyone tunes in."

Sean Spicer leaves his role as White House Press Secretary without telling the press what his plans are for the future. Maybe he will find a way to monetize on his ability to tweet out his passwords (like he did less than a week after Trump's inauguration), or perhaps he will bury the hatchet with pop band "Daft Punk" whom he had accused in 2014 of failing to "grow up." We wish him all the best.