USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Katie Zacharia Directs Reporters to Trump After Briefing, Announces Kimberly Guilfoyle Resignation
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Katie Zacharia directed reporters to ask President Trump during her first White House briefing. She announced that Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to resign.
Zacharia’s first briefing
Katie Zacharia made her first White House briefing last 14 minutes on Tuesday, taking questions from just three outlets before directing reporters to ask President Donald Trump directly.
Zacharia told reporters her goal is to “amplify” what Trump is doing and said the president is “his own best spokesperson,” as she ended the briefing by saying, “I am going to end it because President Trump is heading out to Marine One for our historic trip to Alaska, and we can ask him all of the questions out there.”
Trump praised Zacharia’s performance after the briefing, saying, “I thought she did excellent. She did very good,” as she stood behind him.
Zacharia also announced that Trump had asked Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign amid reports of improper conduct, and she said, “She has been a wonderful asset to the team and we wish her well.”
Nerves, mistakes, and scrutiny
Katie Zacharia’s debut drew criticism as she failed to answer a question about whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine and replied, “I’ll have to answer you later on that,” when she did not know what to respond. Katie Zacharia also mistakenly called her husband “president,” and Trump’s briefing drew attention for how quickly it ended after she took only three questions.
CNN reported that several White House officials questioned how long Zacharia can last after her “brutal” press briefing, with one adviser telling CNN, “She should have been doing murder boards for two weeks before going up there.” CNN also reported that Zacharia called on reporters from Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail, and that she appeared to have their names written down ahead of time.
What comes next
White House communications director Steven Cheung told Business Insider that Zacharia is “a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team,” and he said she would “do an incredible job as press secretary.” Katie Zacharia told Business Insider that she is “grateful to serve President Trump as press secretary,” and she said she will “diligently and effectively amplify his successful agenda.”
“Steven Cheung told Business Insider on Tuesday that Zacharia is ‘a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team.’”
CNN reported that questions have surfaced online about Zacharia’s status as an attorney, and the California State Bar spokesperson told CNN, “The State Bar of California has no record of Kate Sharon Zacharia or Kate Sharon Black having been licensed to practice law in California.” CNN also reported that Zacharia told a reporter “Which state?” when asked what state she passed the bar exam in, and she responded that she had moved to China.