Katie Zacharia opened her first appearance in the James S. Brady Briefing Room on Tuesday with a bright, elongated “Good morninggg…” before taking her place behind the lectern. With her polished appearance and confident entrance, she initially looked like the glamorous, camera-ready White House press secretary Donald Trump might have envisioned.
But the promising first impression quickly began to fade.
“I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people,” Zacharia, 41, read from her prepared remarks, keeping her eyes mostly on the page and only occasionally looking toward the cameras.
The White House press corps had been waiting six weeks for a successor to Karoline Leavitt, whose unexpected resignation in August left the administration without a permanent press secretary. Reporters and viewers around the world were eager to hear from Trump’s latest public face.
“Enthusiastic, hardworking Americans are lining up and packing arenas to support President Trump and Republicans and it… is… not… hard… to… see… why,” Zacharia declared, delivering the sentence in a slow, clipped rhythm.
The result sounded relentlessly upbeat but somewhat mechanical, suggesting that the new White House spokesperson was still adjusting to the demands of the briefing room.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia appeared increasingly comfortable as her first briefing progressed, especially when she spoke about her family
Trump is fighting for American workers “every… minute… of… every… day,” she recited from a prepared line known inside the White House as a “topper.” Zacharia seemed to have been instructed to slow down and pronounce each word clearly, though the effort came across as unusually deliberate.
During an opening statement lasting almost nine minutes, she ran through a heavily positive list of administration achievements, including rising real wages, one million new private-sector jobs, construction of Naval bases and reduced drug prices. The Iran war was absent from the account, while several phrases received emphatic, and at times seemingly random, vocal stress.
Zacharia said Trump had delivered the “biggest oil deal in WORLD history” and won a “historic one-day war with… VENEZUELA.”
As the statement continued, she increasingly looked down at her notes. A pause, a grimace and a confused attempt to describe investment in an Alaska pipeline followed: “In addition to that it will be… it, we, will be… he, it… ahh… there is 54 billion dollars…”
“And with that, I will take your QUESTIONS,” Zacharia said, sounding cautious as she opened the floor to reporters.
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia accompanies President Donald Trump as he heads to speak with reporters before boarding Marine One on the White House South Lawn on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in Washington
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia addresses reporters during her first briefing
The opening remarks at a White House briefing are normally followed by an extended question-and-answer session that can last close to an hour. On this occasion, however, Zacharia answered questions from just three reporters.
A reporter from Breitbart asked about the record of her predecessor. “Firstly, my predecessor Karoline Leavitt did an incredible job,” Zacharia replied.
One unnamed White House official, among several people said to have contacted the media, later remarked that staff members were “missing Karoline today.”
Fox News then asked how Zacharia intended to approach the press secretary’s role. She said she hoped to “amplify, multiply, and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda,” a string of phrases that veered into the kind of verbal muddle previously associated with former President Biden’s much-criticized press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre.
Before joining the administration, Zacharia had worked as a pro-Trump television commentator on conservative cable networks. Trump reportedly selected her despite her relative lack of public prominence, and she said she planned to draw on that background to “only build on, only amplify and only multiply, to the extent possible, all of the wins [Trump is] making for Americans.”
“[President Trump] is his own best spokesman,” she added. After her uneven first briefing, that claim appeared more convincing than it had the day before.
Though for one thing, Zacharia’s devotion to the President appears sincere. ‘My President… excuse me… my husband… that’s a good one’ she stumbled when speaking about her dedication to her spouse and four children.
Press Secretary Katie Zacharia joins President Trump’s team at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland en route to Alaska
Katie Zacharia watches as President Trump talks to the media at the White House
The strongest moment of the outing may have been the White House’s worst.
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Responding to a question from the Daily Mail, Zacharia revealed that the President asked embattled Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign. It was a mic drop moment that dominated the headlines. Shortly after the announcement Guilfoyle tweeted that she is stepping down, while denying all allegations against her.
Why Guilfoyle wasn’t afforded the opportunity to disclose her own career move before it was released publicly is unclear, but communications pros speculated that the information was released with purpose.
‘From a strategic perspective that was a smart move,’ Democratic strategist Melissa Derosa told Fox News. ‘You don’t want to be the story. [Zacharia] came out loaded with news, dropped the mic and walked away.’
Indeed, she did.
Approximately, seven minutes into the Q&A, Zacharia wrapped it up.
‘I am going to end it because President Trump is heading out to Marine One for our historic trip to Alaska, and we can ask him all of the questions out there,’ she said, as the color seemed to rush back into her face.
One well-known TV reporter was overheard noting that the briefing was the shortest that they had ever been to. Others muttered that Zacharia seemed a little nervous, but most extended her some grace.
Behind the scenes, questions were asked about why Zacharia was thrown into the deep end so quickly, having only been appointed on Friday after a whirlwind 72-hours that the Daily Mail exclusively reported blindsided Trump’s own West Wing. Four sources said she was even hired without consultation with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, now a co-host on Fox News, recalled that she was allowed two weeks in the job before briefing the media. Zacharia only had a weekend.
Of course, Zacharia is far from the first White House communicator to receive poor opening reviews.
Trump’s first press secretary Sean Spicer was mercilessly ridiculed on Saturday Night Live. He lasted about six months.
Ominously, one White House insider told MS NOW: ‘She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break [Anthony] Scaramucci’s record.’
The Trump fundraiser and financer lasted just 11 days in the role. Scaramucci tweeted Tuesday: ‘The clock is running. Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci… I hope she makes it.’
Katie Zacharia is expected to be President Trump’s press secreary for the remainder of his term after Karoline Leavitt left in August
Katie Zacharia has long been a loyal supporter of president Trump
When it was all said and done, praise for Zacharia was hard to find – and the critics were gleeful.
Bill Clinton’s former press secretary Joe Lockhart told CNN: ‘It was a little bizarre to rush her out there, then rush her out of the room. I’m not sure what they were hoping to accomplish but I don’t think they built any confidence in her ability to go forward.’
Of course, there’s only one review that truly counts in this White House, and if the President was having any buyer’s remorse, he didn’t show it.
‘I thought she did excellent,’ said President Trump. ‘She did very good.’
There was then a slightly awkward moment, however.
As the President and Zacharia stood together near Marine One after the briefing, they were asked where Zacharia, an attorney, had passed the bar exam, no record of it having been found by journalists.
‘Which state?’ Trump chimed in, turning to his newly minted press secretary.
‘When I moved to China,’ she replied rather cryptically, leaving reporters, and possibly Trump, scratching their heads.
Perhaps all will be revealed at the next briefing.