US President Donald Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, had an awkward start to her first White House briefing on Monday. She mistakenly referred to her boss as her husband while answering questions. Zacharia ended the session after just 14 minutes. Trump later said, "I thought she did excellent."
US President Donald Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, had an awkward start to her first White House briefing, mistakenly referring to her boss as her husband before abruptly ending the session after just 14 minutes. Zacharia (41) took questions from reporters on Monday but spent much of the briefing reading prepared remarks praising Trump and highlighting his administration's achievements. Her debut was overshadowed by the verbal gaffe and an unexpectedly early exit. The slip came when a Daily Mail correspondent asked how she planned to balance the demands of the high-pressure job with raising her four children. After mentioning her husband, film producer Tyler Zacharia, and saying that missing evenings with her children was "completely unacceptable", she said: "My President -- excuse me, my husband -- is out here." Zacharia attempted to laugh off the mistake, responding, "Wow, that's a good one," but appeared flustered before leaving the briefing room. The performance drew sharp criticism from sections of the media. The Daily Mail described her delivery as "slightly robotic", while The Independent called it an "eye-wateringly bad debut". Trump, however, gave her a glowing assessment. "I thought she did excellent. She did very good," he told reporters, with Zacharia standing behind him, before departing for a visit to Alaska. Why Trump picked Zacharia Zacharia's appointment came after weeks of speculation over who would replace outgoing press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump announced the selection on Truth Social, describing Zacharia as a "devoted fan and member of MAGA". She takes charge of the White House's messaging at a politically challenging time for the President, with Republicans preparing for next month's midterm elections amid economic discontent and an unpopular war with Iran. Trump's approval ratings have fallen to record lows, and he has urged supporters to vote as though his name were on the ballot, turning the congressional contest into a test of his presidency. Before her appointment, Zacharia worked as a communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social. She previously served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and regularly appeared on Fox News as a commentator, defending Trump's policies and criticising Democrats. Who is Katie Zacharia? A California native, Zacharia studied at Pepperdine University, where she led the College Republican organisation. She also interned at the White House Office of Political Affairs during the George W Bush administration and at the Republican National Committee. She earned a law degree from Pepperdine in 2011, although questions have surfaced about her legal credentials. Her name does not appear on the California State Bar's website, prompting questions about whether she qualified to practise law in the state. Asked by a reporter where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia responded: "When I moved to China."