Sean Spicer's gaffs are legion: Hitler, Holocaust, Syria, bans and more

Sean Spicer has issued an apology, yet again, after his claim that even Hitler didn’t use chemical weapons. The apology came after widespread condemnation of the remarks, including from prominent Jewish groups demanding his resignation.

The Anne Frank Centre for Mutual Respect released a statement condemning the comment, saying; "On Passover no less, Sean Spicer has engaged in Holocaust denial, the most offensive form of fake news imaginable, by denying Hitler gassed millions of Jews to death.”

However this is not the first time Spicer has inspired ire with his comments. He has been the subject of hashtags, memes and much social media attention in the less than 100 days he has been in the position.

Middle East Eye has put together a collation of Spicer’s blunders:

1. 'You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons' 

Comparing Assad to Hitler, in a White House press briefing, Spicer appears to deny Hitler’s gassing of Jews.

In an attempt to clarify his remark, he appears to refer to concentration camps as “Holocaust centres…” and says that “the way that Assad used them where he went into towns dropped them down to innocents, into the middle of towns” was different.

2. 'The goal for the United States… is to make sure that we destabilize Syria'

In an attempt to apologise for his remark, Spicer says that Trump was making attempts to destabilise the region. 

It's not the first time he has made this comment. He earlier said that the US's goal is to destabilise Syria.

3. Trump has gone 'out of his way to recognise the Holocaust'

Spicer defended Trump in January saying that he had gone “out of his way to recognise the Holocaust”, after he was criticised for failing to mention Jews and anti-semitism in a statement commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

He hit back at critics, calling them "pathetic" for pointing out that a statement commemorating the Holocaust failed to mention of Jews or the targeting of them by Nazi Germany.

4. 'This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period!'

In his first week in the job, Spicer claimed that the media had faked the low turnout numbers at Trump's inauguration, and claimed that "No one had numbers because the National Park Service... does not put any out.” He then proceeded to make the above claim anyway. 

The New York Times estimated that the crowd at Trump's inauguration was roughly one-third the size of the one at Obama's

5. 'Sometimes we can disagree with the facts'

When faced with increased evidence disproving his claim, he said that facts can be disagreed with, inspiring the hashtag #SpicerFacts on social media. 

6. 'That's not a ban'

Spicer tells reporters that Trump's 'Muslim ban' was in fact not a ban...

...Only to be embarassed by Trump himself who referred to it as a ban in a tweet.

7. Accidental distress signal

Spicer attended a press briefing in March with his US flag badge pinned to his lapel upside down, a move which according to the US Department of Veterans, should only be used as a signal of distress.