New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia listens to US President Donald Trump speaking to the media as he departs the White House in Washington, DC, US, October 13, 2026.
On Tuesday, the latest addition to the Trump administration got off to a decidedly rocky start. According to MS NOW, new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia had a “make or break” first day, and her stumbling effort suggested that she may not have the job for long.
“Her 14-minute performance was more than enough to alarm some inside and close to the White House,” writes MS NOW. “During her opening remarks, Zacharia rarely looked up from the binder on the podium. She then took just three questions, all from conservative-leaning outlets. It was a sharp departure from her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, who paired a combative style with an effort to engage reporters across the press corps.”
White House officials who spoke with the outlet on the condition of anonymity were not positive about Zacharia’s first stab at the podium. “She got off on the wrong foot,” said one official. “She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record.” This was in reference to Anthony Scaramucci’s roughly 11-day stint as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017. “Her first impression is leaving staff without confidence in her abilities.” Another official said her performance was “rough all around,” and that “the press and the administration are all probably thinking the same thing: we miss Karoline.” When asked what went wrong, the official admitted that “it was all tough.”
Others in the White House orbit attempted to use an old MAGA tactic – telling the viewer not to believe their lying eyes – by claiming Zacharia’s performance was good, actually. “Katie did an amazing and effective job advocating on behalf of President Trump and his Administration,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told MS NOW. “Anyone saying otherwise is either a low-level staffer who has no idea what it takes to communicate and inform the American people, or it’s a made-up source.” Shortly after the press conference, he posted, “A tremendous start for the new White House @PressSec! She commanded the room and effectively reminded the American people of all the great work President Trump and his Administration has done thus far.” David Pollack, a host on the far-right outlet One America News Network, where Zacharia was a frequent contributor, said that reports of her poor performance were “fake news” and a symptom of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
But their opinions were far from the consensus. As one former Trump aide told MS NOW, Zacharia is “not ready for primetime,” warning that “looking weak, not tough and strong, is what could put her job in jeopardy.” In the aide’s estimation, “The president forgives a lot, but that can be his pain point.”
