There is an ongoing battle of the bulge at the White House. It started with Chief Strategist Steve Bannon who explained why the press briefings of Press Secretary Sean Spicer are off-camera. The reply by Bannon to the inquiry from the Atlantic was brief, but it created a Twitter storm. “Sean got fatter,” Bannon wrote. His reply resulted in netizens accusing Bannon of fat-shaming Spicer when the chief strategist himself has weight problems of his own.

Impersonators’ favorite

Like President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner -- who was just voice-shamed on Monday -- Spicer is an impersonator’s dream character because his press briefings are always a spectacle.

On “Saturday Night Live,” comedian Melissa McCarthy’s impersonation of the press secretary is as funny as Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump and Laura Benanti’s Melania Trump.

McCarthy’s on-the-spot characterization of Spicer went viral as she chewed wads of gum, berated media men, and sped around on a motorized podium. The fat-shaming incident comes at a time when there are reports that Spicer would be moved to another post, and that he is looking for his replacement as press secretary.

Bannon experiences fat shaming

While Bannon just attempted to answer a question from Atlantic reporter Rosie Gray regarding the conspicuous absence of Spicer from the public eye, he triggered a Twitter storm of fat shaming.

A lot of Twitter users, from former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton to ordinary people, criticized Bannon for fat-shaming Spicer, Mashable reported.

At the same time, however, netizens also fat-shamed Bannon, complete with images to show evidence that the chief strategist of the White House has his own weight problems to deal with.

He got called names for his remark. Clinton, however, reminded netizens that fat-shaming in not funny at all.

In a commentary on Bannon’s reply to Gray, New Republic said that the answer of the chief strategist explains why the present U.S. government, led by Trump, “is a toxic administration.” Bannon’s reply not only displayed contempt for Gray as a media member, but is dismissive of the press and the real problem of not making briefings on camera.

The New Republic described Bannon’s remarks as immature and unprofessional. It is also proof that leading members of the White House cannot treat one another with respect, let alone common citizens.
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