Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer admitted on Thursday that he "screwed up" sometimes during his time with the Trump administration, specifically referencing his comparison of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Adolf Hitler.
Spicer, whose reflective interview with HLN’s S.E. Cupp will air later Thursday, was asked if he felt he maintained his credibility while working as President Donald Trump’s press secretary during the first few months of the presidency.
"There were times where I screwed up, there’s no question about it," Spicer said.
When asked to give an example of a time he "screwed up," Spicer referenced a time from the start, during the inauguration, when he compared Assad’s treatment of his people by using chemical weapons as something so horrible, not even Hitler would do the same.
"There was an event where I was trying to talk about how evil Assad was, and I screwed that up royally," Spicer said.
"You brought up Hitler," Cupp said.
"Thanks for reminding me," Spicer jested.
However, Spicer said he was less concerned with his own credibility and was more worried about all the people he was representing in his role.
"And so when I screwed up, yeah it felt really bad because you’re realizing that you’re tarnishing your personal reputation, your family’s reputation, your friends who like you and support you, some of your colleagues, and ultimately again, this administration and the American people who I wanted to do my best for every single day," Spicer continued.
Spicer served as press secretary during the first few months of Trump’s presidency before leaving over the summer. He resigned from the position in July as Anthony Scaramucci was appointed for his short-lived term as communications director, a move Spicer strongly opposed.