New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia closed her first briefing after 14 minutes, citing President Trump’s Alaska departure as former Biden aides and critics rushed to mock the debut.
Katie Zacharia stepped to the White House lectern on Oct. 13 and delivered her first briefing as press secretary in just 14 minutes, with only about five and a half minutes of questions before she cut the session short.
USA TODAY reported that the 41-year-old former conservative commentator ended the appearance by pointing to President Trump’s pending departure on Marine One for what she called a historic trip to Alaska.
Trump later told reporters he thought she “was very good.” White House communications director Steven Cheung also praised the performance. Former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki took a different line on social media.
Zacharia began with prepared remarks and a clear message of allegiance to the president who put her in the job.
“Good morning,” she said. “I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people as the new White House press secretary. I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.”
She highlighted Trump’s energy and the prior night’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio, calling attendance at the midterm push “at record highs” and saying the president is “an energetic president.”
The new press secretary also committed to keep non-traditional “new media” outlets in the briefing room, continuing a practice that has expanded access beyond the old network-and-print club.
That approach fits a broader White House posture that has already limited some legacy outlets, including moves covered when Trump bars CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from certain access.
Zacharia called on reporters from Breitbart, Fox News, and the Daily Mail. Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked about her new role.
She answered that she gets to “amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people.”
On a follow-up about whether the U.S. government is still sharing intelligence with Ukraine, she said she would have to get back to the questioner.
Then she closed the briefing.
"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," Zacharia said. "So thank you so much."
Trump did not board Marine One until more than an hour later. When he spoke with reporters before boarding, he gave her a straightforward endorsement.
"I thought she was very good," Trump told reporters before he boarded Marine One.
Cheung posted his own verdict on X soon after the briefing.
"A tremendous start for the new White House @PressSec!" Cheung wrote. "She commanded the room and effectively reminded the American people of all the great work President Trump and his Administration has done thus far."
Not everyone offered congratulations. Jen Psaki, who served as White House press secretary under President Joe Biden and now hosts on MS NOW, posted a sharp jab on X.
"Well that briefing was basically an SNL skit...except it wasn't," Psaki wrote.
The contrast was plain. The current White House communications team and the president himself called the debut a success. A former Biden aide treated it as comedy.
Zacharia also had a brief verbal slip while talking about family life in Washington, mixing “my president” with “my husband” before correcting herself and noting her husband and four children had joined her for the week. She treated it lightly and moved on.
Zacharia takes over from Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary after Karoline Leavitt left the post at the end of August.
Leavitt had been known for an aggressive style and often answered without a binder. Briefings had already slowed significantly during her maternity leave, even before her exit.
Readers following the personnel shift have also seen coverage of Karoline Leavitt set to join Fox News as a contributor after leaving the West Wing.
Zacharia’s own path runs through conservative media. She was a frequent commentator on Fox News and Newsmax and previously served as a senior communications advisor for the company that runs Trump’s social media platform Truth Social.
That Fox-to-White House pipeline has been a recurring theme, including later reporting that Leavitt lands Fox News contributor role after her administration service.
One of the few hard news items Zacharia confirmed on the record involved Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece.
Zacharia confirmed the White House has asked Guilfoyle to resign after reports raised questions about her conduct on the job.
“She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,” Zacharia said.
Asked about her own next briefing, she kept the answer tight. The president would return on Thursday, she said, and she would leave further scheduling there. Reporters also pressed whether she would appear Friday after the campaign travel.
The appointment itself had already been framed around the same media-to-administration path when Trump appoints Katie Zacharia to replace Leavitt.
Fourteen minutes is brief by the old Washington standard of long, meandering briefings. Zacharia used most of that time to state her purpose, spotlight Trump’s agenda and the Youngstown rally, take a handful of questions from conservative-leaning outlets, and clear the room for the president’s departure.
She did not pretend to have every foreign-policy detail at her fingertips on day one. She said she would get back on the Ukraine intelligence question. She confirmed a personnel decision on Guilfoyle. She deferred the next briefing schedule to the president’s return.
Trump and his communications director called it a strong start. A former Biden press secretary called it a skit. Voters watching the exchange can decide which verdict matches the job they hired this White House to do.
Efficient briefings that put the president’s message first are not a scandal. They are a choice, and this White House is making it in public.
