President Donald Trump's new press secretary Katie Zacharia faced a wave of online fury Tuesday after a 14-minute debut briefing that critics on X described as disastrous, with one prominent journalist declaring she "can barely read."
Ms Zacharia, a former Newsmax commentator and Trump Media adviser, took the podium in the James Brady Briefing Room and spent most of her time reading from a prepared script. She smiled through pauses, mixed up the words "husband" and "president" while discussing her family, and took questions from only three outlets — Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail — before abruptly ending the session by claiming Mr Trump was about to board Marine One. The president did not depart for more than an hour.
Online backlash erupts
The performance quickly dominated X. Aaron Rupar posted a supercut of the briefing with the caption: "Trump managed to find a press secretary who can barely read, but she does have the number one qualification — looking like Ivanka. This is an SNL cold open come to life." The post, which compared her delivery unfavourably to predecessor Karoline Leavitt, drew millions of views and tens of thousands of likes within hours.
Former Joe Biden press secretary Jen Psaki agreed that the briefing "was basically an SNL skit….except it wasn't." An unnamed White House official told MS NOW that Zacharia "needs to get much better fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record," a reference to Anthony Scaramucci’s 11-day tenure in 2017. Mr Scaramucci himself posted: "I hope she makes it."
Ordinary users amplify anger
Ordinary users amplified the anger. Posts from teachers, veterans and nurses accused the White House of prioritising appearance over competence. One Ohio teacher wrote: "My eighth-graders could deliver a clearer book report." A Texas veteran said the appointment showed the administration was "hiring someone who needs phonetic coaching for ‘Venezuela.’"
The phrase "she can barely read" trended as users shared clips of Ms Zacharia glancing downward and stumbling over prepared lines about a "booming economy," energy production and relations with Venezuela.
Briefing content and aftermath
Ms Zacharia’s opening remarks focused almost entirely on praising Mr Trump’s agenda and offered little new information beyond confirming the White House had asked US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign. She said she would continue Ms Leavitt’s policy of elevating "new media" while major outlets including CNN, MS NOW and Politico remain barred from the White House.
Outside the briefing, Mr Trump called her debut "excellent" while she stood behind him. The praise did little to quiet the X backlash. Later questions about Ms Zacharia’s claim to be a lawyer added fuel: searches of state bar associations found no record she had ever passed a US bar exam. When asked where she passed it, she replied, "When I moved to China." China does not permit foreigners to sit its bar exam.
The reaction on X framed the appointment as another example of loyalty and optics outweighing basic job requirements. Users repeatedly noted that the press secretary role, already difficult under a president who frequently speaks for himself, demands clear delivery and the ability to handle adversarial questions. Ms Zacharia’s first appearance, limited to friendly outlets and marked by visible reliance on a script, left many concluding she had failed that test on day one.
As of Tuesday evening, the White House offered no further comment on the online criticism.
