Body language experts spot signs of 'nervousness' in Katie Zacharia’s first White House briefing

WASHINGTON, DC: Newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s first briefing on Tuesday, October 13, drew scrutiny after she delivered an eight-minute opening statement, answered only a couple and left the podium after approximately only 14 minutes.

Body language experts told HuffPost that her frequent smiles, downward glances and vocal delivery appeared to signal nervousness during the televised appearance. The briefing also attracted attention after Zacharia confirmed that the Trump administration had asked US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign.

Experts point to smiles, downward gaze during Katie Zacharia’s debut

Zacharia arrived at the podium about 10 minutes after the briefing’s scheduled 9:30 am start and relied largely on a prepared script during her opening remarks. The new press secretary occasionally looked up at reporters and smiled while delivering the statement.

Susan Constantine, a body language expert who spoke to the outlet, said that Zacharia appeared to lack “the confidence, composure and commanding presence expected of a presidential spokesperson.”

“Her nervous smiling, frequent downward gaze and tentative vocal delivery projected discomfort rather than authority,” Constantine said. “The disconnect between her verbal messaging and nonverbal behavior created an impression of uncertainty and insufficient preparation.”

Abbie Marono, a behavioural scientist, also drew attention to Zacharia’s smiles when she looked up from her script, saying their timing did not always appear to match the content of her remarks.

“Its timing and intensity often do not fit the emotional content of what she is saying, which makes it come across as forced,” Marono said. “It reads as impression management: She is delivering her remarks while also visibly attending to how she presents herself to the room.”

Constantine added that Zacharia “may have held the podium, but she did not command the room. Her delivery fell short of projecting the executive presence the role demands.” Zacharia, on Friday, October 9, was announced as the new press secretary, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August and is now heading to Fox News. 

Short briefing draws criticism from former press secretary Psaki 

Zacharia answered three questions during the briefing, calling on reporters from Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail, before leaving the podium after roughly 14 minutes. Although White House briefings have no fixed duration, Eshbaugh-Soha said that they typically last between 25 minutes and an hour.

One moment from the briefing that quickly went viral online, where critics interpreted it as a sign of nervousness, came when Zacharia, while speaking about her husband, stumbled over her words and said, “my president, excuse me, my husband.”

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who served under President Joe Biden, described the briefing on X as “basically an SNL skit.” Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as communications director during Trump’s first administration in 2017, also wrote that “the clock is running.”

Eshbaugh-Soha questioned whether the short briefing reflected first-day nerves or a broader communications strategy. “I’m just curious if this continues, is this first, stage jitters or is this the strategy?” Eshbaugh-Soha said. “And I think that'll tell us even more about what the president is thinking about, how he intends to use the press office the rest of his term.”