New Trump press secretary ends first briefing after 14 minutes

The latest:

The White House briefing room reopened Tuesday under a new voice, and it closed again 14 minutes later. Katie Zacharia, a former Newsmax commentator, took questions from three outlets in her first appearance as press secretary before directing reporters to put their questions to President Donald Trump directly. She made one piece of news: Trump had asked U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, and she did.

Details:

• The news made: Zacharia announced the White House had asked Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, to quit, and that she complied immediately. The Associated Press reported the request followed reports of improper conduct. No further detail on the circumstances was given from the podium.
• Who got called on: The three outlets recognized were Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail, all friendly to Trump to varying degrees across his two terms. Zacharia answered one additional question as she prepared to leave the room. The questions she took were nonconfrontational.
• The opening monologue: Most of her prepared remarks praised Trump and recapped second-term priorities, according to AP. Talking points included a booming economy, a historic boom in energy production and a great relationship with Venezuela. She also said Trump is working to secure the Western Hemisphere for centuries to come.
• Her stated mission: Zacharia described the job as amplifying, multiplying and expanding on Trump’s agenda for the American people, continuing what she had been doing before joining the administration. AP noted she did not mention disseminating accurate information to Americans as part of the role.
• The performance: AP reported she looked downward and often read directly from a script, paused and grinned at the words Department of War, stumbled on a question about her background, and mixed up the words husband and president.
• Trump’s verdict: Speaking to reporters outside the White House shortly after the briefing, with Zacharia standing behind him, Trump called the debut “excellent.” He routinely acts as his own spokesman, often commandeering the news cycle several times a day.
• The criticism: MS NOW quoted an unnamed White House official saying she needs to improve fast or she will break Anthony Scaramucci’s record; Scaramucci lasted 11 days as communications director in 2017. He posted on X that he hoped she makes it. Jen Psaki, Joe Biden’s former press secretary, likened the briefing to a sketch comedy skit.
• Access fight: Zacharia said she would keep her predecessor’s policy of bringing in new media, which AP noted has often meant outlets more sympathetic to Trump. CNN, MS NOW and Politico are fighting to regain White House access after Trump banished them last month over coverage he called fake news.
• The predecessor: Karoline Leavitt held the job for 17 months before resigning in August. She took a smiling but combative stance toward reporters, was named in at least one lawsuit over White House media access, and once told a reporter his was a stupid question.

Background:

The press secretary post dates to 1929, when former journalist George E. Akerson served Herbert Hoover. Across nearly 10 decades the role has shifted between delivering information, amplifying policy, sparring with reporters and protecting the president’s reputation, depending on the occupant.

Between the lines:

The structure of the debut answers the question of who the audience is. Three friendly questioners, a scripted monologue built on superlatives, and a stated mission of amplifying the president’s agenda point to an approach aimed at one viewer rather than the room. AP frames the deference to Trump as the defining feature: with the president serving as his own most frequent spokesman, the podium’s informational value shrinks by design.

What’s next

Watch whether Zacharia extends future briefings and widens the pool of questioners, whether CNN, MS NOW and Politico regain White House access, and whether the Greece posting is filled after Guilfoyle’s departure.