Zacharia's first appearance at the podium lasted around 14 minutes, with approximately eight minutes devoted to praising Trump and six minutes spent answering questions.
US President Donald Trump personally coached new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia in the Oval Office shortly before her first press briefing on Tuesday, asking her to use the intense interest in her debut to highlight his administration’s achievements and announce his decision to seek the resignation of US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, according to a report by The New York Post.
Trump summoned Zacharia to the Oval Office shortly before her briefing, which was scheduled for 9:30 am, causing her to arrive slightly late, the news outlet said, citing a source familiar with the matter. Trump also shared his decision regarding Guilfoyle, which Zacharia subsequently announced to reporters.
Zacharia, who was appointed on Friday to succeed Karoline Leavitt, had just one day to prepare for the briefing and meet her new staff in person. Her first appearance at the podium lasted around 14 minutes, with approximately eight minutes devoted to praising Trump and six minutes spent answering questions.
Katie Zacharia’s first White House briefing: 8 minutes praising Trump, 6 minutes of questions
Zacharia opened her first briefing with a statement praising what she called the president’s energetic leadership. She highlighted Trump’s recent campaign rallies and his policies on energy, tariffs and immigration, along with positive figures on wages, drug prices, employment and energy production.
She also said attendance at Trump’s rallies was at record highs.
Zacharia described her role as an extension of her work advocating for Trump before joining the administration, saying her goal was to amplify his agenda.
“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 told reporters.
She also described Trump as “his own best spokesperson” and thanked him for appointing her, saying she had wanted to work for him for a long time.
The question-and-answer session lasted about six minutes. Zacharia called on reporters from Breitbart News, Fox News and the Daily Mail. A photograph of her notes reportedly showed that the three reporters had been selected in advance.
She committed to continuing the “new media” rotation introduced by Leavitt, which brought additional media outlets into White House briefings and the press pool.
Zacharia then abruptly ended the briefing, saying reporters could question Trump when he departed the White House aboard Marine One for a trip to Alaska.
“In fact, 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.
Trump praises Katie Zacharia after brief debut
Trump praised Zacharia’s performance as he left the White House for his trip, more than an hour after the briefing had ended.
“I thought she did excellent. She did very good,” the president told reporters, with Zacharia standing behind him.
Trump had announced her appointment on Friday, describing her as a “loyal and brilliant supporter” and praising her academic background and political advocacy.
Zacharia previously worked as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group and briefly served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year. She has also appeared as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax.
She succeeded Leavitt, who stepped down in August and is taking a job with Fox News Channel.