WASHINGTON – New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia made her briefing room debut on Oct 13 by taking remarkably few questions from journalists while leaving no doubt who she believes has all the answers – US President Donald Trump.
“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, describing her vision for the job.
Zacharia, a 41-year-old devotee of Trump’s hard-right MAGA movement, is taking over the White House communications role just as Republicans face warnings of heavy defeat in upcoming midterm elections.
She is also replacing the combative but skilled former press secretary Karoline Leavitt at a time when polls show the 80-year-old president becoming ever more unpopular.
Little known to the general public, Zacharia opened her first session at the famous briefing room podium by reading – at a notably slow pace – a lengthy list of what she said were achievements under the “energetic” leader.
These types of initial roundups, dubbed “toppers” in White House press lingo, are usually followed by a long question-and-answer session in the packed room – often extending to dozens of questions.
But Zacharia took questions from just three reporters, starting with right-wing website Breitbart, an outlet frequently accused of spreading conspiracy theories.
The next questions went to Fox News, one of the key pillars of Trump’s media support, and to the Daily Mail tabloid website.
With that, after just 15 minutes, Zacharia declared the briefing finished and walked out, pursued by the sound of reporters shouting unanswered questions.
“I thought she was very good,” Trump, known to enjoy watching his staffers’ performances on television, later told reporters.
‘My president’
Up to now, Zacharia has been working as a commentator on Fox News and right-wing Newsmax, as well as advising Trump Media and Technology – the group behind the president’s Truth Social platform.
She did not indicate whether she will aggressively pursue Trump’s unprecedented attempts to punish US media outlets that he does not like.
Most recently, the administration has plunged into a legal dispute with CNN, MSNOW and Politico over attempts to bar them from the White House.
White House’s communications director Steven Cheung praised Zacharia’s performance, saying she “commanded the room” and reminded Americans of Trump’s “great work”.
But liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein predicted she will “be a disaster”. The New York Post tabloid described her as “visibly nervous”.
Zacharia did make one piece of news, announcing that Trump had sacked his ambassador to Greece after a bribery scandal.
The bulk of her messaging, however, solely aimed at polishing the image of the Republican leader, who nearly halfway through his term faces plummeting opinion polls over his war against Iran, economic hardship and a long list of domestic controversies.
“This is a president and administration that is looking out for you, the American people,” she said, declaring herself “thrilled to officially be part of this incredible journey”.
Asked if the demanding job would impact her personal life, Zacharia described how her family of four children was adapting.
But she slipped up, triggering ripples of laughter, when she referred to “my president, excuse me, my husband”. AFP