‘Get much better, fast’: New Press Sec’s rocky first day triggers firing warning from WH official

The anonymous official said that Zacharia, 41, is on track to shatter former White House Comms Director Anthony Scaramucci’s time at the helm
Zacharia first caught Trump’s attention and secured a White House position through her strategic television appearances, which aligned with Trump’s schedule (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Zacharia first caught Trump’s attention and secured a White House position through her strategic television appearances, which aligned with Trump’s schedule (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON, DC: Katie Zacharia’s first briefing as White House press secretary does not appear to have gone smoothly, as her first turn at the White House briefing room podium drew a scathing response from an official.

The White House official raised questions Zacharia’s performance at the podium and warned that she must improve quickly or risk being fired very soon.

WH official raises firing doubts after Katie Zacharia’s first briefing

Newly appointed Press Secretary Katie Zacharia held her first press briefing from behind the Whit House podium on Tuesday, Oct 13.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12:  White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, center, stands on the South Lawn of the White House on October 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is headed to Ohio for a rally with Republican candidates with 22 days to go until the midterm elections. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, center, stands on the South Lawn of the White House on October 12, 2026 (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

While she made a major announcement about the administration’s decision to ask Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her position, Zacharia’s performance drew questions about whether she was sufficiently prepared for the role.

The doubts came from inside the White House.

The anonymous official told MS NOW’s Jake Traylor that Zacharia, 41, could be on track to break former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci’s record for a short tenure.



Scaramucci’s tenure lasted for only 10 days during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.

“Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record,” the source told Traylor.

MS Now panel rips Zacharia, say they missed Sean Spicer

While appearing as a live commentator on MS NOW to analyze Zacharia’s performance, Former New York Democratic Rep Sean Patrick Maloney laughed at Zacharia’s first appearance at the White House podium as the network cut away from her opening remarks.

NYACK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 29: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) speaks during a rally at Nyack Vetera
Featuring as a live commentator on MS NOW analyzing Zacharia’s performance, Former New York Democratic Rep Sean Patrick Maloney laughed at Zacharia’s first turn at the White House podium (Getty Images)

“Well, it’s a purely political speech. She’s the official White House Press Secretary. She is not there to talk about campaign rallies and to talk about the campaign and to talk about her favorite issue,” Maloney said.

Later during the same program, Maloney chimed in: “Who thought we’d miss Sean Spicer, huh? We just keep going down.”

Spicer claimed Trump’s 2017 inauguration had the “largest audience to ever witness an inauguration,” despite evidence proving otherwise.

Zacharia was appointed after Trump noticed her on television

Zacharia first caught Trump’s attention and secured the White House position through her strategic television appearances, which she reportedly timed to align with Trump’s schedule.

According to Politico’s Playbook, Zacharia checked Trump’s public schedule every day and monitored his Truth Social account, then made sure she appeared on television when he was most likely to be watching.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia arrives to a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. Zacharia, a conservative commentator and former communications adviser for Trump Media, took questions from reporters in her first media briefing as the new White House press secretary. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia arrives to a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Zacharia’s appointment was announced last week.

She succeeded one of the most popular press secretaries in White House history, Karoline Leavitt, who shockingly announced her departure in August, citing personal reasons after the birth of her second child.

The mother of four, who previously worked at the Department of Homeland Security for a few months, appeared nervous during her first press briefing.

She reportedly relied on prepared remarks and took questions from only a few media outlets before ending the briefing after approximately 14 minutes.

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