Who is Tyler Zacharia? New Trump press secretary calls husband 'president' in excruciating word-salad debut

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia went viral during her first press briefing Tuesday when she accidentally said 'my president' when she meant to say 'my husband.'

Zacharia - a 41-year-old mother-of-four - was a regular on conservative broadcast shows before being tapped last week to replace Karoline Leavitt. 

The gaffe, which Zacharia graciously admitted was 'a good one,' has led many to wonder more about the new press secretary's personal life.

Zacharia's husband, Tyler, is a prominent film producer with several recent hit movies to his name. 

Martin Scorsese's The Irishman and Silence with Andrew Garfield are Zacharia's featured credits, as well as recent major studio films like Roofman and The Breadwinner.

While many of his films are mainstream, he recently produced Young Washington, a film about the nation's first president that was a hit with conservatives.

Tyler, who got his undergraduate degree from Georgetown studying international politics and military security, got an MBA from Pepperdine in 2016 and worked for a private equity firm in Beijing.

He worked in Beijing as a VP at SGI Frontier Capital from August 2007 until July 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Tyler is also fluent in Mandarin, which helped him get work in private equity.   

'What I learned is that when you're doing deals in China, or really anywhere, it's not about the facts and figures as much as your people skills. That excites me way more than sitting down in front of a spreadsheet,' he said of his work. 

Tyler is currently the COO of 2521 Entertainment, which has produced several recent films, including an upcoming feature about the creation of the Hershey chocolate company. 

He also presides over the business operations of both Boies Schiller Entertainment and CenterStage Technologies.

The pair have been married since 2011, with Tyler confirming their marriage in an interview with Pepperdine Magazine in 2016. 

The chat highlighted that Tyler and Katie had spent eight months backpacking around the globe together in the mid-2010s.  

He and Katie have four kids, with her having spent half a decade away from work to raise the children.  

Despite her work, Katie says she prioritizes her children, adding that 'the idea of not spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable.'

'I adore my family. I love them. They are my priority,' she said.

Katie was asked at one point how she could maintain that balance, given her family lives in California. 

'[Tyler's] out here for the week because we have two birthdays in our family and we are very, very protective of celebrating birthdays as a family. So he brought the entire crew out here. Bless him. It's a lot. And we will be moving out here,' she said.

'I intend to, to the extent possible, include my family, include my kids in my work. Though my work will be demanding, they will always be a priority.'

Katie Zacharia lived and worked in Beijing, China, for roughly two to three years after graduating from Pepperdine University's law school. 

She worked for the Zhong Lun Law Firm from about August 2011 to June 2014. Her husband, Tyler Zacharia, also worked in Beijing at the time for a private equity firm.  

'I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,' Zacharia told the Daily Mail in a statement. 

In addition to her roles in China, Katie Zacharia has also served as the general counsel of conservative political group Fix California, according to her LinkedIn, and has claimed to be outside counsel for the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation.

Katie, who was announced as press secretary on Friday, appeared Saturday morning on Fox & Friends Weekend to discuss her new position.

'This job is not about me,' Zacharia said. 'This job is about [Trump] and how he wants to communicate to the American people.'

She called Trump 'the most energetic, intense president we have ever seen,' and touted his policies as 'the most effective [and] most exciting.'

Zacharia, who is also a senior communications advisor for the President's Truth Social social media platform, added that she could not wait to work for Trump.

'Whatever it brings – he's full of surprises – but I'm really excited about it,' she said.

The new press secretary noted that Trump had shown her where the White House ballroom would be. She called it an example of Trump 'bringing back' America's greatness.

'He is ahead of schedule, under budget, and it's gonna be amazing,' Zacharia said.

Trump announced that Zacharia would follow Karoline Leavitt, the previous press secretary, on Friday afternoon on Truth Social. Leavitt announced her departure on August 12 and left the position on August 27, which she explained was to spend more time with her family.

Trump said Zacharia had been 'outstanding' in her role at Truth Social, noting she had also served as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, where she lasted six weeks. 

She replaced Tricia McLaughlin in February as the on-camera face of Trump's immigration crackdown.

But it was short lived, and her exit from DHS was shrouded in controversy, with reports she was pushed out over her close ties to Corey Lewandowski, Kristi Noem's DHS adviser and rumored lover.

Zacharia, at the time, flatly denied that account, claiming she stepped away because constant travel between Washington and her home in California was too hard on her family. 

Trump said on Truth Social in his announcement: 'She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.' 

The president said Zacharia was 'a devoted fan and member of MAGA,' who he was confident would 'deliver strong results.'

Zacharia thanked Trump on Truth Social 'for the distinguished privilege' of becoming White House press secretary after his announcement.

'Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250–year mark is the honor of a lifetime,' Zacharia wrote.

She said Trump had 'shown America that we can be great again' while lavishing praise on his administration.

'His confidence is a true privilege, and his leadership is a blessing to this country,' Zacharia added.

'God bless President Trump, and God bless America,' she continued.

Trump also said Zacharia had been previously involved in his presidential campaigns, particularly in key swing states.

Zacharia's naming comes during an important political period ahead of the midterm elections in November.