- Katie Zacharia's debut briefing lasted only 14 minutes.
- She accidentally called Trump her husband during the briefing.
- Failed to answer question on Ukraine intelligence sharing.
Washington: US President Donald Trump's newly appointed White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, faced massive criticism online after an awkward debut before reporters on Tuesday. Her first media briefing lasted just 14 minutes, featured a verbal slip in which she confused "Trump" with her "husband", and left a key question about US intelligence-sharing with Ukraine unanswered.
Zacharia, who was appointed on Friday to succeed Karoline Leavitt, began her first appearance in the White House briefing room by reading prepared remarks praising Trump and his administration's achievements. Her hesitant delivery and heavy reliance on the script quickly attracted attention on social media.
The briefing took an embarrassing turn towards the end when Zacharia accidentally referred to Trump as her husband before correcting herself, adding to the scrutiny surrounding her first appearance.
'My President, I Mean My Husband': Verbal Slip Goes Viral
During the briefing, Zacharia spoke about her enthusiasm for working with Trump and her intention to promote his administration's agenda. However, she stumbled over her words while addressing reporters, mistakenly saying "my husband" when referring to the president before correcting herself. Her actual husband is Tyler Zacharia, an entertainment and investment executive.
.@POTUS: "She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading so we're making a change." https://t.co/PmX7okZu7w
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 13, 2026
The verbal slip quickly circulated online, with critics mocking her performance and questioning whether she was prepared for the demands of the high-profile position. Social media users also criticised her delivery, describing her as nervous and overly dependent on prepared notes.
Trump reacts to Zacharia's first presser
Reacting to her debut briefing, Trump said, "She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading, so we're making a change." When asked about her claims relayed to his family, Trump said she was not a member of his family but added his son had once dated her.
Q: On Guilfoyle, she was almost a member of your family. How surprised were you to learn about these allegations? TRUMP: No, she wasn't a member of my family. She I guess dated my son a long time ago. https://t.co/RNGhdWTKbg
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 13, 2026
Fails To Answer Question On Ukraine Intelligence Sharing
One of the most closely watched moments came when a reporter asked whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine. Zacharia did not provide an immediate answer, saying, "I'll have to get back to you on that." This prompted a huge backlash among reporters in the house. However, responding to reporters' questions, Trump said that the American security agencies are sharing intelligence with Ukraine.