Katie Zacharia cut her first White House press briefing short after just 14 minutes on Monday.
Zacharia, who took over from Karoline Leavitt after President Trump announced her appointment last week, spent roughly eight minutes of her debut delivering a monologue on Trump’s accomplishments before abruptly ending the session. She fielded questions from only three reporters during the brief appearance.
“She’s nervous,” Florida-based body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass told The Post. “But she’s very monotone. She’s emphasizing the wrong words when she’s communicating what she has to say, and she needs some basic training.”
Glass continued her assessment of Zacharia’s performance, noting the new press secretary struggled to connect with the room. “She was looking down the whole time,” Glass went on. “She wasn’t really connecting with the audience. There was some nervous smiling that [was] not congruent with what you should be smiling about.”
The truncated briefing included an announcement that Trump had requested the resignation of Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. Photos of Zacharia’s notes revealed she had pre-selected which reporters to call on, choosing representatives from Breitbart, Fox News and the outlet, yet she still fumbled over their names despite the advance preparation.
The job’s demands appeared to rattle Zacharia when a reporter asked how she balanced her role with being a mother of four. The question prompted a verbal slip that drew attention.
“So my president, excuse me, my husband,” she said during the exchange, before quickly recovering with a self-deprecating remark: “That’s a — that’s a good one.”
Monday marked Zacharia’s first official day in the position, giving her no transition period before facing the press corps. The rapid timeline stood in contrast to how some predecessors have approached the high-profile role. Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, now co-hosting Fox News midday program “Outnumbered,” recalled taking about two weeks to prepare before briefing reporters after her own appointment to the position.
Zacharia’s debut drew immediate scrutiny for both its brevity and her visible unease, with the 14-minute runtime and limited questioning drawing comparisons to more extended sessions typical of the role.