Katie Zacharia sets out Trump-focused role in first White House briefing

Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as White House press secretary on 13 October, telling reporters she wanted to communicate in “complete tandem” with President Donald Trump.

Zacharia thanked Trump for his trust and said she was honoured to work for him and the American people. “I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” she said, according to a transcript published by Roll Call’s Factba.se. She said she hoped to use her official role to amplify Trump’s agenda, “to the extent possible”, while describing him as his own best spokesperson.

The timecoded transcript spans 14 minutes and 12 seconds. The Associated Press reported that Zacharia took questions from three news outlets. She ended the briefing by saying Trump was heading to Marine One and that reporters could ask him questions outside. AP reported that he left the White House more than an hour later.

The White House called the debut a “strong introduction” to Zacharia’s tenure. Trump also praised her performance later that day, telling reporters: “I thought she did excellent. She did very good.”