Donald Trump’s new Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s first briefing lasted 14 minutes, and its brevity quickly became a story of its own. She took questions from three outlets before ending the session, prompting criticism from journalists, commentators and former White House officials over whether she was ready for one of Washington’s most demanding communications jobs.
Katie Zacharia responds as critics question her White House performance
Zacharia addressed the reaction in an email to Newsweek, saying she was “grateful to serve” Trump and would “diligently and effectively amplify his successful agenda.” Trump named her press secretary Friday after Karoline Leavitt left in August to spend more time with her family. Zacharia previously worked as a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman and a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group.
Despite the short appearance, Zacharia delivered a major announcement saying the White House had requested the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, amid allegations of misconduct. She also pointed to Trump’s actions on energy policy, trade tariffs and immigration. Her remarks ended as the president got ready to depart for Alaska.
The strongest criticism focused on presentation as much as duration. CNN’s Alayna Treene reported that White House officials and presidential advisers described the debut as “awkward” or “stilted.”
Former Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield called it a “rocky start,” arguing that a press secretary must handle questions across a broad range of policy issues. She noted that briefings can run 45 minutes to an hour.
Bedingfield also questioned whether Zacharia had enough time to prepare, since Trump appointed her only four days earlier. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki was harsher, calling the appearance “basically an SNL skit” in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Former Trump deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews said Karoline Leavitt and Kayleigh McEnany “came out swinging in their first press briefings.” She also praised their confidence and preparation.
Not everyone saw the brief appearance as a failure. Ari Fleischer, who served under George W. Bush, told Fox News that the Guilfoyle announcement gave Zacharia substantive news to deliver.
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from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2026/10/13/donald-trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-debut-backlash-response/
