Mixed reviews: New WH press secretary gives viral first address

After Donald Trump's loyal propagandist Karoline Leavitt resigned from her position as White House press secretary on August 27, the White House has seen a revolving door of speakers, with varying degrees of success. If anyone tried convincing you that Leavitt's job was easy, rotating members of Trump's cabinet proved otherwise, with JD Vance, Kash Patel, and others shoddily stumbling over words in response to press pool questions. MAGA's mismanagement of the lectern may have even impacted Trump's decision to ban the press pool from the White House.

Now, Trump has announced Leavitt's replacement, and she seems to be just as skilled at spreading propaganda as her predecessor. On October 11, Donald Trump announced that Katie Zacharia would be taking over as press secretary. The US has not had a press secretary since Leavitt's resignation. Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump said that Zacharia would begin her duties on October 12, with her first address happening on October 13.

Who is Katie Zacharia?

Katie Zacharia, 41, is an ex-lawyer but a career-long propagandist. A mother of four, Zacharia graduated with a law degree from Pepperdine University, a private Christian university located in Malibu, California. Pepperdine has longstanding connections with multiple far-right Christian groups and has a litany of scandals related to racism and discrimination in its history. After graduating as a Doctor of Law, Zacharia worked as a legal clerk and a research assistant before taking her career in another direction. In 2011, Zacharia moved to Beijing, China, and worked as an associate at a legal clinic for more than a year. Afterwards, Zacharia spent nearly a year with the now-defunct nonprofit Compassion for Migrant Children. Yes, Trump's new propagandist spent two years in China advocating for migrant children…

After her time in China, Zacharia spent the next ten years in obscurity, not listing any places of employment on her public resume. When she returned to the US, Zacharia began working with a series of far-right conservative organizations. She worked with Fix California as a legal representative, an organization focused on spreading conservative values. She then spent years with The White Rose Resistance, a pro-life organization with ties to white supremacist organizations. After those stints, she moved to the media. She has since worked as a commentator on Newsmax and FOX before she was hired by the Department of Homeland Security as a secretary. Her last gig was with Trump's company Truth Social, where she worked as a senior communications advisor.

Now, Zacharia is taking the next (and biggest) step on her propagandist journey: she will be the mouthpiece for the most corrupt president since Harding and Nixon. And she's got big shoes to fill at the lectern. For all her criticism, Karoline Leavitt put on a masterclass at the podium, shutting down reporters, spouting lies with confidence, and never, ever admitting defeat. If Roy Cohn's three rules for winning have graduates, Karoline Leavitt graduated summa cum laude.

Zacharia's first briefing

Zacharia's first press briefing went down without a major hitch, but she did fail to answer one of the three questions she was asked. Considering it was only 15 minutes long, there weren't many hitches to be found, but nevertheless she avoided any major stumbles. Right from the drop, she made it clear that she would be following the Karoline Leavitt playbook. Zacharia only took questions from three news outlets: Breitbart, Fox News, and the Daily Mail. Zacharia's first briefing was questionably short, though. Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, held a 45-minute first briefing and took questions from 18 reporters. Zacharia spent only 15 minutes at the lectern and took questions from only three reporters, not exposing herself to any non-conservative media outlets. Zacharia stumbled over her words multiple times and was visibly checking her notes throughout. When asked about whether the U.S. had stopped sharing intelligence information with Ukraine by Fox News' Peter Doocy, she was unable to answer.

A new way of life at the White House

While some point to Zacharia's short briefing as being a test, it may also be a sign of things to come. Trump has become blatant and loud about his focus on media suppression. Trump banned the press pool from the White House in September, and though he allowed reporters to be present on October 13, Zacharia didn't give them a single question. It's important for the United States to appear as though it's not suppressing news and media, but appearances may be all that matters. If Zacharias only takes questions from reporters who are openly pro-Trump, what's the point in anyone being there?