Enter the Zachbot: Trump’s new press secretary malfunctions on podium debut

Katie Zacharia, 41, made her first appearance at the White House podium on Tuesday as President Donald Trump's sixth press secretary, in a halting, stiff debut. The briefing lasted 14 minutes and included three questions. Her biggest news came when the Daily Mail asked about an alleged bribery scandal involving Kimberly Guilfoyle, ambassador to Greece: Zacharia said the administration had asked Guilfoyle to resign, according to The Guardian.

Reading mostly from prepared notes, she said attendance at Trump's campaign rallies was at record highs, though Guardian writer David Smith notes empty seats and frequent protester interruptions. Asked by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy whether the US had halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine, she promised to follow up later.

A Mail follow-up asked how she would manage the job with her husband and four children in California. She said evenings away from her kids were unacceptable and briefly misspoke by naming Trump instead of her husband. Trump said soon after, "I thought she was very good." Critics including the Lincoln Project and Anthony Scaramucci mocked her prospects for lasting.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →