Spicer: ‘Demeaning’ to Say April Ryan ‘Can’t Take It’

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the mainstream media’s fixation on his tense Tuesday back-and-forth exchange with American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan was “demeaning to her” during an interview Wednesday with radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Spicer and Ryan engaged in a charged back-and-forth during Tuesday’s briefing after Ryan asked the press secretary about the White House strategy to “revamp its image” in the midst of the ongoing controversies. Spicer blasted the question, suggesting the controversies were largely generated by the hostile media.

“It seems like you’re hell-bent on trying to make sure that whatever image you want to tell about this White House stays,” Spicer fired back at Ryan.

 “But to suggest that somehow because of her gender or her race she’d be treated differently I think is frankly demeaning to her.”

“We have very spirited back-and-forths, and I think that’s what makes her a tough reporter,” Spicer said on the “Hugh Hewitt Show” Wednesday. “She’s a tough reporter … She grew up in Baltimore. She knows how to mix it up with the best of them.”

Much of the news media seized on the Tuesday exchange, attempting to paint Spicer as a bully for forcefully responding to Ryan’s pointed question. The punditry focused, in particular, on Spicer’s comments to Ryan to stop shaking her head during the exchange.

CNN’s “New Day” co-host Chris Cuomo told Ryan that she was “allowed to shake your head whenever you want — especially when Spicer is doing what he does most often right now, which was giving a bogus response to your question.” MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough said Spicer’s behavior was “abusive” in nature. Even former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton weighed in. Clinton called the remark “patronizing” to Ryan.

Spicer said the media’s portrayal of Ryan as a victim was more “demeaning” to her capabilities as a reporter than anything he said.

“Frankly, I’m kind of astonished,” Spicer said of the coverage. “I think if you look at the exchanges I have with [ABC’s] Jonathan Karl or [NBC’s] Peter Alexander or a number of the other individuals in the press briefing room — Jim Acosta from CNN — we go back and forth all the time, rather heatedly, in fact.”

The fact that the media took such particular issue with his exchange with Ryan — a black, female reporter — maligns her ability to do her job and “take it” like the rest of them, Spicer said.

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“It’s frankly demeaning for some folks to say that she can’t take it,” Spicer insisted. “But to suggest that somehow because of her gender or her race she’d be treated differently I think is frankly demeaning to her. She’s a tough woman that fights every day to get out there for her publication and her audience to get the questions that she wants answered and I respect that. I really do.”

Nevertheless, many in the media — and even Ryan herself — seemed to relish the opportunity to whack Spicer.

“I was just asking a question, trying to get an answer. And I found myself trying to defend myself,” Ryan told CNN Wednesday morning. “But you know, I’m just a reporter trying to get answers. And it was a simple question. It was a legitimate question. And I just wanted an answer.”

“And the administration is calling us the ‘enemy of the people,’ and I guess we saw some of that thought process yesterday,” Ryan added. “We are the press who’s under attack.”

But when Spicer opened up questioning at Wednesday’s press briefing, he called upon Ryan first.

“Why, thank you, Sean,” Ryan said when he called her name.

“How are you today?” Spicer asked.

“I’m fine, how are you?” April responded.