Meltdown at the podium: Trump’s new press secretary lasts just 15 minutes in disastrous debut

Much has been written about Karoline Leavitt, the former White House press secretary who was very popular with the president and right-wing media.

Since early August, there has been a lot of speculation about who would replace her. A lot of recognizable names had been mentioned, but in the end, Trump went with the unknown Katie Zacharia.

Today was her first day on the job, and it is safe to say that it did not go well.

A historically bad debut

From the first minute Zacharia took the podium, she seemed to be out of place as she was struggling to read the manuscript that had been given to her.

One would also figure that since there has not been a press briefing in the White House since August, there would be a lot of questions she would have to answer, especially considering Trump had banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from covering him.

And maybe there were; we just never found out, because she ended her press conference after just 15 minutes and three questions.

Here is a supercut of her debut performance, courtesy of independent journalist Aaron Rupar.

Who is Katie Zacharia?

It is safe to say that Trump picked Katie Zacharia from obscurity. She came from a job as a communications advisor for Trump Media, the company that owns Truth Social.

There, she had a long history of being a conspiracy theorist, alleging that Hollywood elites are “cannibals” and that Putin is fighting the “deep state.”

She also claims to be a lawyer, but according to independent journalist Judd Legum, there is no evidence of her ever passing the bar exam that is required to actually practice law.

“Yet, there is no evidence that Zacharia ever passed a bar exam or has been admitted to practice law in any state,” Legum claims.

When she was asked that question on the White House lawn alongside the president after the disastrous press briefing, she claimed that she passed the bar exam when she moved to China.

How did she get the job?

So, how did she get this job? Well, the explanation is quite simple, involving some great maneuvering from Zacharia.

According to Politico Playbook, Katie Zacharia studied Trump’s schedule and Truth Social posts daily, then made sure she was on TV when she thought he might be watching.

“It worked: Trump watching her on TV got him interested in her for the post, and a number of high-ranking anchors advocated for her selection.”

The knives are already out for Zacharia

The reception for Zacharia has been brutal. One White House source told Jake Traylor from MS NOW that she might not have the job for long.

“Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record,” said the White House official, referring to Anthony Scaramucci, who was White House press secretary for only 10 days back in 2017.

However, if you turned on Fox News, none of this came across. Instead, the news anchors started to praise her.

“Zacharia came out loaded with news and dropped the mic and walked away. That was a really smart move strategically,” said former Democratic aide Melissa DeRosa.

Stephen Cheung, the White House communications director, was also full of praise on Zacharia’s first day.

“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.”

This article is made and published by Daniel Wolfram, who may have used AI in the preparation