Trump plucked Katie Zacharia from obscurity to be the new face of his White House. 15 excruciating minutes later, he was speechless: NICK ALLEN’s devastating verdict on the press secretary’s debut

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By NICK ALLEN, US NEWS EDITOR (POLITICS) 22:50 13 Oct 2026, updated 22:54 13 Oct 2026

Katie Zacharia announced herself with a sunny, drawn-out ‘Good morninggg…’ as she strode confidently in the James S Brady Briefing Room on Tuesday, looking like the glamorous, telegenic White House press secretary that Donald Trump had ordered from central casting.

Her debut went decidedly downhill from there.

‘I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people,’ Zacharia read breathlessly, eyes down, glancing up briefly to meet the cameras.

The salivating White House press corps, which has been waiting a full six weeks since Karoline Leavitt’s surprise resignation in August for the appointment of a new press secretary, and the world, was hanging impatiently on every word.

‘Enthusiastic, hardworking Americans are lining up and packing arenas to support President Trump and Republicans and it… is… not… hard… to… see… why,’ Zacharia, 41, read in staccato.

The effect was Pollyannaish and slightly robotic; the new White House mouthpiece is clearly working out a few glitches.

Trump is fighting for American workers ‘every… minute… of… every… day,’ she recited from a script known in White House press lingo as a ‘topper.’ Zacharia appeared to have taken instructions to speak slowly and enunciate a bit too earnestly.

In the nearly nine-minute opening, she rattled off a Pravdaesque list of accomplishments: real wages up, one million private sector jobs created, new Naval bases under construction, lower drugs prices, and more. Predictably, there was no mention of the Iran war, but the catalog of achievement did include words emphasized unexpectedly and seemingly at random.

President Trump had secured the ‘biggest oil deal in WORLD history,’ Zacharia said. He had won a ‘historic one-day war with… VENEZUELA.’

As the seconds ticked by Zacharia looked down more often. Then, a pause, a grimace and an unfortunate mangling of the promotion of an Alaska pipeline investment: ‘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, cautiously.

The opening segment of the press briefing is typically followed by a long question-and-answer session, often extending for nearly an hour; Zacharia took questions from three reporters.

A Breitbart reporter queried her about the former job holder’s legacy. ‘Firstly, my predecessor Karoline Leavitt did an incredible job,’ she answered.

An anonymous White House official, one among many who reportedly rushed out statements to the media, was later quoted as saying that the staff were ‘missing Karoline today.’

How does Zacharia see her role as press secretary, asked Fox News. She’s ‘hoping to amplify, multiply, and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda,’ Zacharia said, veering dangerously into word salad territory last staked out by Biden’s long-beleaguered press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Zacharia, who was a pro-Trump talking-head-for-hire on conservative cable news shows prior to reportedly being plucked out of near-obscurity by President Trump, aims to leverage her past experience 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 said. The statement certainly looked truer today than yesterday.

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.

The strongest moment of the outing may have been the White House’s worst.

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.’

Approximately, six 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.’

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.

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