White House press secretary Katie Zacharia made her first official appearance in the role Monday as President Trump boarded his helicopter for a campaign rally in Ohio featuring Jake Paul and Jon Gruden.
Zacharia stood nearby while Trump spoke informally with reporters for several minutes before boarding Marine One. The president was headed to Youngstown for a midterm-election rally supporting Republican candidates.
Zacharia did not join Trump on the trip. Her first formal White House press briefing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Paul, the professional boxer and social media personality, and Gruden, a Barstool Sports commentator and former Super Bowl-winning NFL coach, boarded Marine One with Trump. Both were expected to appear at the rally in the Buckeye State.
Paul wore a red hat emblazoned with the words “America is Back.”
Trump has endorsed a number of Ohio Republicans, including Sen. Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Husted is facing a competitive contest against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, while Ramaswamy is running against Amy Acton, a physician and former public health official.
Gruden, who grew up in Sandusky, Ohio, played college football with Husted at the University of Dayton.
Earlier this month, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders coach rallied support for Husted at an Ohio event also attended by Trump.
Paul is likewise an Ohio native. Earlier this year, he appeared with Trump at an event in Kentucky, just across the state line.
At the Hebron, Kentucky, gathering, Trump said the boxer and social media star “will be, in the not too distant future, running for political office.”