The Mirror

Spicer Denies SOTU Cocktail Blitz: ‘It Wasn’t Many’

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
Font Size:

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer had to answer for the state of his union Wednesday after many journalists observed him to be a tad tipsy during a media appearance the previous night in the Trump Hotel lobby bar.

“How many cocktails did you have?” WMAL’s Larry O’Connor asked him during a late Wednesday afternoon radio show.

“It wasn’t many,” Spicer said amid laughter.

Whatever that means, Spicer’s Wednesday may have involved a mean hangover. What a headache — having to field calls, emails and texts from the evil media the day after President Trump‘s State of the Union address. The burning question on everyone’s minds: Was Spicer plastered Tuesday night during his bar room interview with TheBlazeTV‘s Eric Bolling?

“Katrina offered some real serious insightful insights into what the president said tonight,” Spicer said, using up some of his interview time to push more time for Bolling’s previous guest, Katrina Pierson, a top adviser to Trump’s 2020 campaign.”She’s actually been with him a lot longer than I ever have. She understands what he’s thinking. It’s not that she gets it. She’s been with him. She’s been on the train longer than I ever have.”

Bolling told him that he loved him and that he had “the biggest heart” of anyone he knows. Spicer agreed. He also called himself “agnostic” politically. Bolling playfully argued with him on that point.

Sometimes Spicer seemed agitated.

“Just stop. Like listen to me!” Spicer pleaded of Bolling, concerning Pierson. ” …She was with him when no one was with him. My point is there are some people who were there from the beginning. Pay attention to her.”

Spicey’s words sounded slurred. His commentary was meandering, nonsensical and odd. He made fun of Bolling’s suit being from Target. Bolling, an ex-Fox News guy, swiftly corrected him, saying, “Armani.”

Spicer surfaced on WMAL late Wednesday afternoon sounding much more coherent. He was a big cheerleader for Trump. “He understands the platform and majesty of the [event],” Spicer told WMAL’s O’Connor. “He was funny. …He laid out a vision of greatness for the future. …There was a lot of bipartisan support for a lot of what he said.”

Did Spicer miss all those angry female lawmakers in white suits?

O’Connor raised the issue of Spicer’s spice-tastic state Tuesday night.

“Let’s just say we were celebrating at a State of the Union party and we were very excited how well the president did,” Spicer said, initially bypassing the question.

O’Connor cajoled him into giving a semi-real answer, which was “not many.”

Once Spicer hung up, O’Connor told his listeners, “I would take an intoxicated Sean Spicer analysis over Van Jones.”

Listen to the full interview here.

In post-SOTU analysis Tuesday night, CNN’s Van Jones described Trump’s speech as “cookies and dog poop.”

So this is what Spicer sounded like Tuesday night:

Some insight from Axios White House reporter Jonathan Swan: “Per source in the room at the White House: Trump asked Sean Spicer yesterday ‘are you going to come back and work here for us?'” he tweeted Wednesday. “Source says seemed like Trump was joking. Spicer, in same tone, replied that while he enjoyed his time in WH had no plans to return.”

Pronouncing someone sauced in image-conscious Washington circles is touchy.

A Mediaite headline asked, “Is Sean Spicer Hammered in This Live TV Interview at the Trump Hotel Bar?”

The story said “it seems he made good use of the bar.”

New York Mag‘s Josh Barro cracked, “How much more would everyone have enjoyed the White House press briefings if Spicer had been drunk for them? Spicer himself most of all.”

Splinter News, which uses profanity in many of its headlines, was far more blunt: “Sure Seems Like Spicer Got Fucking Smashed Last Night.” The site’s Sophie Weiner jabbed, “In the incoherent interview, Spicer slurred his words, repeated himself, and generally acted like a college freshman who’s just lost his first game of beer pong.”

The Mirror attempted to reach Spicer for this story. There was no response.

Whatever state Spicer was in Tuesday night, this is what he had to say at 9:26 p.m. when Trump was in the early stages of his speech. In short: APPLAUSE!