Spicer says he's never spoken with Trump about Russian interference

But according to White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, the briefings were held off camera because "Sean got fatter".

Fox News reported this week Spicer is about to be promoted to a position that would oversee both the press and communications teams at the White House, a move that would leave a vacancy behind the mic.

While it may have been a joke, it seems like an odd response to a very serious issue. We have been meeting with potential people who may be of service to this administration. He claims that this helps to amplify President Trump's voice instead of his.

"The nice thing about turning the cameras off sometimes, and I find this, is that it is not 'performance art, ' as you call it, that you end up having, I think sometimes, a more substantive discussion about actual issues because they're not trying to get their clip", Spicer opined.

Spicer did have an update for reporters on the question of whether or not President Trump has any recordings of his conversations with Comey, which he mentioned in a Tweet last month.

"There is no White House shake-up coming", Lewandowski said on Fox & Friends.

At one briefing, when she was questioned why Spicer was missing, she mentioned his role was probably getting upgraded.

Mr Spicer's remarks on Tuesday came amid speculation that he is looking for his own replacement at the briefing room podium, which could be part of a larger plan to shake up the White House communications staff. As Bloomberg notes, Trump has been moving away from using a single spokesperson anyway.

Spicer's first TV appearance as press secretary came on January 21, when he came to the press room to deliver a statement that chided reporters on the way that they characterized the size of the inauguration crowds.

From what my White House sources tell me you were never under serious consideration.... Will it be Sarah Huckabee Sanders or perhaps Kellyanne Conway?

President Donald Trump's spokesman said he hasn't asked his boss whether he believes the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election, the consensus view of the US intelligence community.