New Trump Press Secretary Pushes Back on Criticism of First Briefing
Andrew Powell · Oct 16, 2026 · 2 min read
Katie Zacharia is pushing back against criticism of her first White House press briefing, saying she had been on the job for less than eight hours before facing reporters at the podium.
According to Fox News, Zacharia, while speaking with Sean Hannity on “Hannity” on Thursday, defended the performance and addressed growing scrutiny over both her handling of the briefing and questions about her legal background.
President Donald Trump announced Zacharia’s appointment Friday, giving the Pepperdine Law graduate only a few days before she made her briefing-room debut Tuesday. She said she received briefing materials that morning and had little time to prepare for the high-profile appearance.
“What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference,” she told Hannity. “With very little prep time, I received briefing materials in the morning of Tuesday.”
Zacharia faced criticism after taking three questions during the roughly 14-minute briefing. Much of her time at the podium was spent highlighting the Trump administration’s accomplishments ahead of the midterm elections.
Critics also questioned why she appeared to take questions primarily from conservative-leaning outlets. Zacharia disputed that characterization, pointing to the Daily Mail as an example of a publication that does not fit that description.
“Given the fact that I'd been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day,” she said.
Zacharia also noted that she delivered a significant announcement during the briefing: The Trump administration had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her position as ambassador.
“I was able to deliver breaking news, which I do believe was the right thing to do as the press secretary,” she said.
Another controversy followed the briefing after The Wall Street Journal reported that Zacharia had failed the California bar exam. Hannity also confronted her about social media posts in which she had been described as an attorney.
Zacharia said those posts were retweets and that she had corrected the record. She also explained that she did not retake the California bar after failing it the first time, saying she had planned to move to China after marrying shortly after graduating from Pepperdine.
She said she had consulted attorneys and legal professionals before describing herself as a lawyer because of her juris doctor degree and substantive legal experience.
After several days of criticism, including remarks from comedian Jimmy Kimmel, Zacharia said she intends to strengthen her relationship with the White House press corps.
“I would love to build a relationship with all of those members of the press corps so there is a substantive component to us having an ability to interact,” she said. “And I will be very prepared, Sean, and I will step up to the duty that President Trump has asked me to as press secretary.”