‘Not Ready for Primetime!’ Critics Destroy Trump’s New Press Secretary After 14 Minute Hit-and-Run Debut
(Screengrab via X)
New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s debut behind the podium Tuesday lasted just 14 minutes and included questions from only three reporters, immediately setting off a wave of mockery from critics who gave her no quarter.
Zacharia, who formally took over from Karoline Leavitt this week, opened Tuesday’s briefing with a lengthy prepared statement before taking a limited number of questions on Iran, the midterms and the administration’s agenda. She also made news by announcing that the White House had asked U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign.
But much of the immediate online conversation centered on Zacharia herself, particularly her delivery of a lengthy written statement and the abrupt end to the briefing.
MS NOW host and former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the briefing a “basically an SNL skit”:
The comparisons to Leavitt were also common:
Independent left-leaning journalist Aaron Rupar trashed Zacharia as “brutally bad” and the press conference as a “disaster”:
Ron Filipkowski similarly called the briefing “bizarre” while MeidasTouch tweeted out Zacharia was “not ready for primetime”:
Others piled on:
Even some friendly voices acknowledged an uneven opening. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet praised Zacharia for holding the briefing immediately rather than waiting to settle into the role, but conceded she appeared “perhaps a bit nervous reading the prepared statement.”
Media coach and senior fellow at the conservative Independent Women’s Forum Beverly Hallberg offered a harsher technical critique, writing up her report card that Zacharia was “visibly nervous,” relying too heavily on her notes and “stumbling over her words.”
Other Trump allies were outright enthusiastic. Students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier declared Zacharia “completely nailed it,” calling her “sharp, loyal, and ready to take on the biased media.”
Some Trump loyalists jumped in to defend Zacharia against the more negative reviews of her briefing, like Jack Posobiec:
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