Trump's new press secretary Katie Zacharia stumbles through first White House briefing
Katie Zacharia took questions from only three reporters before leaving her first briefing after about 14 to 15 minutes. A slip that called her husband 'my president' drew laughter, and doubts emerged over her bar admission.
A rocky first briefing
Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as White House press secretary on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, succeeding Karoline Leavitt. Outlets put the session at roughly 14 to 15 minutes, and a large part went to a list of administration achievements, which Aktuálně.cz, citing the Daily Mail, put at about nine minutes. Her opening remarks ran to around eight minutes according to De Standaard, and she read them slowly, mostly looking down at her notes. The Guardian likened her on-screen manner to a digital AI avatar, and several outlets described her debut as catastrophic.
- Trump announces Zacharia's appointment as press secretary
- First briefing opens with about eight minutes of remarks
- Three questions taken from Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail
- Zacharia says Trump asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, then leaves after about 14 to 15 minutes
Three questions and a fast exit
She took questions from only three reporters, first from Breitbart, then from Fox News and the Daily Mail. Breitbart is often criticised for relaying conspiracy theories, a point Libertatea raised when describing the session. Czech outlets noted that Leavitt's question sessions could run for up to an hour, while Zacharia ended the event after about 15 minutes. Reporters shouted questions as she left, and none were answered. When asked whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, a story that had dominated US headlines for days according to De Standaard, she said she would have to come back to the question later.
The slip about her husband
Asked how she would balance the new job with family life, Zacharia said her four children were central to her priorities. NewsIT reports that her husband Tyler and the children live in California, while she now works in Washington. While describing how the family was adapting to the new schedule, she referred to 'my president' before correcting herself to 'my husband', which drew laughter in the room. Social media reposted the clip widely, and she acknowledged the slip herself.
Guilfoyle and Trump's reaction
Near the end of the session, Zacharia said Trump had asked US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign. Guilfoyle faces criticism and accusations of alleged bribe-taking, according to the reports. Trump, speaking as he left the White House for a trip to Alaska, said he thought Zacharia had done very well. Trump had announced her appointment on Friday, 9 October, and a Washington Post report relayed by HotNews said the decision bypassed chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Questions over her legal credentials
Zacharia holds a law degree from Pepperdine University, which confirmed she graduated in 2011. Asked where she had been admitted to the bar, she said China, not a US state or the District of Columbia. Washington Post reporting, relayed by HotNews, notes that people without Chinese citizenship cannot plead in Chinese courts. The White House did not say whether she had ever practised law in the United States, but said she moved to China with her husband after graduation for his job at a US private equity firm, while she worked in international transactions law. Independent journalist Judd Legum was first to raise doubts, pointing out that she had not been admitted to the California bar.
Background and reaction
Before joining the White House, Zacharia was a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax and a senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group, the owner of Truth Social, according to De Standaard. Earlier she worked for Fix California, a non-profit founded by Ric Grenell, a Trump adviser, according to HotNews. La Stampa noted that she had previously promoted conspiracy theories, and De Standaard reported that in an interview last year she wrongly claimed the abortion pill mifepristone contains the same chemical as Zyklon B. Her debut has drawn sharp criticism, but the White House has yet to say how she will handle the questions raised about her credentials.
