Katie Zacharia’s first White House briefing lasted 14 minutes, with questions from three journalists.
The new press secretary praised Donald Trump’s agenda and said, “We love new media and we want to be able to embrace it.”
Former White House officials and journalists criticised her debut as questions over media access continued.
Fourteen minutes. Three questioners. And an awkward debut. Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, wrapped up her first briefing on Tuesday after taking questions from just three journalists. The former Newsmax commentator spent much of her time praising the president, while her limited interaction with reporters and several awkward moments drew criticism from journalists and former White House officials.
Zacharia looked down at her script, stumbled over a question about her background and mixed up the words “husband” and “president”. The former Newsmax commentator managed to put the “brief” back in briefing, but made little memorable impression beyond that. She also paused and grinned when she said “Department of War”. The three journalists she called on represented Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail, outlets that have been sympathetic to Trump to varying degrees during his two terms.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the briefing produced little substantive news beyond the announcement that the White House had asked US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, which she did immediately.
Zacharia’s debut raises a question at the heart of the job: how do you speak for a president who rarely needs anyone else to speak for him, dominates the news cycle and attacks coverage he dislikes? Her challenge is to promote Trump’s agenda while answering journalists’ questions, including those he may prefer not to address.
What Is the White House Press Secretary’s Role Under Trump?
The White House press secretary communicates the president’s positions, explains administration policies and answers questions from journalists. The role also involves providing information about government decisions and responding to scrutiny of the president’s actions.
The position has served different purposes over the decades. Former journalist George E. Akerson became Herbert Hoover’s press secretary in 1929, marking the beginning of a role that has since encompassed informing the public, promoting policy, challenging journalists and protecting the president’s reputation. At times, it has also involved withholding information or giving evasive answers.
Under Trump, the job has increasingly become a test of how far a spokesperson will go to defend the president against a press corps that frequently challenges his statements and policies. Trump often serves as his own spokesman, making remarks throughout the day and sometimes late into the night. His comments can be provocative, unexpected and incendiary, leaving his communications team to respond to questions or explain his positions.
That leaves the press secretary with two audiences: the American public seeking information about the administration and the president whose approval is essential to keeping the job.
Zacharia made clear where she intended to focus her efforts during her first briefing.
“I get to do what I was doing on the outside already, which was hoping to amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people,” she said.
She did not mention the responsibility of providing accurate information to Americans, a notable omission in an opening statement centred on promoting the president’s agenda.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s second-term press secretary before Zacharia, adopted a more openly combative approach. She resigned in August after a 17-month tenure during which she regularly challenged what she described as media bias. She was also named in at least one lawsuit concerning White House media access.
Leavitt did not shy away from confronting reporters. At a briefing last year, she responded to one question by saying, “What a stupid question,” reflecting the increasingly hostile relationship between the administration and sections of the press.
The AP’s account of Zacharia’s debut highlights the pressure facing a successor whose job is not simply to deliver prepared remarks but to manage the administration’s relationship with journalists while working for a president who frequently dominates the conversation himself.
Why Did Zacharia’s First Briefing Draw Criticism?
Much of Zacharia’s opening statement followed familiar administration talking points about Trump’s second-term priorities and achievements. She referred to a “booming economy”, “his historic boom in energy production” and “a great relationship with Venezuela”.
She also said, “President Trump is working to secure the Western Hemisphere for centuries to come.”
But when it came to questions, Zacharia kept things brief. She called on journalists from Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail, then took one more question as she prepared to leave, AP reported. The short session meant reporters had little time to challenge the administration’s assertions or seek further details.
She also said she would continue Leavitt’s policy of including “new media” outlets in briefings, a category that has often included organisations more sympathetic to Trump.
“We love new media and we want to be able to embrace it,” she said.
The approach comes amid a dispute over White House media access. CNN, MS NOW and Politico are fighting to regain access after Trump barred them last month, saying he disliked their coverage and calling it “fake news”. The choice of questioners matters because the limited exchange offered little opportunity to challenge the administration’s claims.
Trump praised Zacharia’s performance shortly after the briefing, calling it “excellent” while she stood behind him outside the White House.
Other early reactions were less favourable. MS NOW quoted an unnamed White House official as saying: “She needs to get much better fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record.”
The reference was to Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director during Trump’s first term in 2017 and lasted just 11 days. Scaramucci responded on X on Tuesday afternoon: “I hope she makes it.”
Jen Psaki, Joe Biden’s former press secretary and now a host on MS NOW, also criticised the briefing. She posted on X: “Well that briefing was basically an SNL skit….except it wasnt.”
Can Zacharia Handle a Job Dominated by Trump?
Zacharia’s challenge is not simply to repeat the administration’s talking points. She will have to respond when journalists ask about controversial decisions, explain statements Trump makes outside formal briefings and deal with questions the president may prefer to avoid.
Trump’s tendency to communicate directly with the public makes the role unusual. His remarks can set the news agenda before the press secretary has an opportunity to address them, while his antagonism towards the media adds pressure to the task of answering questions from reporters who may already be sceptical of the administration.
The question is whether Zacharia will be able to provide substantive answers when the questions become more difficult, or whether her brief debut signals a preference for tightly controlled messaging and limited engagement.
The late US Senator Howard Baker once offered a simple approach to difficult questions: if you do not like the question being asked, answer a different one.
Zacharia found her own way to handle difficult questions: call on three journalists, deliver the president’s talking points and call it a day after 14 minutes. Whether that approach lasts is another question. As with so much else in the White House, the answer rests with Donald Trump.
