Katie Zacharia responded after criticism of her first White House press briefing on Tuesday, telling Newsweek via email that “I am grateful to serve President Trump as Press Secretary, and I will diligently and effectively amplify his successful agenda.” During her debut at the podium, Zacharia announced that the White House had asked U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign. Yet much of the reaction to Zacharia’s debut centered on its brevity.
She spent just 14 minutes at the podium and took questions from only three outlets before ending the briefing as President Donald Trump prepared to depart the White House for a campaign trip to Alaska. Zacharia, a conservative commentator who most recently worked for Trump’s social media company, was named press secretary on Friday, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who left the administration in August to spend more time with her family. Her first appearance offered an early glimpse of how Zacharia intends to approach the job.
She told reporters that her goal was to “amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people” while describing Trump as “his own best spokesperson.” Speaking to reporters before his trip to Alaska, Trump responded to a question about Zacharia’s briefing, saying only, “I thought she was very good.” But the brevity of the appearance, along with Zacharia’s delivery and handling of questions, quickly generated criticism from former White House communications officials, journalists and commentators. Zacharia began the briefing with prepared remarks highlighting Trump’s campaign rallies ahead of the November 3 midterm elections and touting the administration’s record on issues including energy, tariffs and immigration. She took her first question from Breitbart News and said she would continue the “new media” rotation introduced under Leavitt that opened briefing-room access to additional media organizations.
Zacharia also made the biggest news of the briefing when she confirmed that Trump had asked Guilfoyle to resign following allegations of improper conduct. But after taking questions from only three outlets, including one question about how she plans to balance her family life with the new job, Zacharia brought the briefing to a close as Trump prepared to leave the White House. Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications, gave Zacharia high praise after her first appearance in front of the press.
He told Newsweek via email: “Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team. She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary." However, some criticism also came from within Trump’s orbit, according to CNN. CNN White House reporter Alayna Treene reported that several White House officials and presidential advisers described Zacharia’s appearance as “awkward” or “stilted,” particularly as she read her opening statement.
Trump has shown a willingness to make quick changes to his White House communications operation. The most notable example came in 2017, when Anthony Scaramucci lasted just 10 days as White House communications director. The White House said at the time that Trump believed comments Scaramucci had made about colleagues were inappropriate for someone in his position.
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