WASHINGTON -- Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, faced reporters for the first time on Tuesday for a very brief turn at the lectern, taking a handful of questions before abruptly wrapping it up. Zacharia, a conservative commentator who most recently worked for President Donald Trump’s social media company, was named to the job on Friday, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who left in August and is taking a job with Fox News Channel. Zacharia told reporters her goal is to “amplify” what Trump is doing and that the president is “his own best spokesperson.” She quickly proved that Tuesday, appearing for only 14 minutes and taking questions from just three outlets before telling reporters they could ask the president their questions on the South Lawn when he departs on a campaign trip. “In fact, 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,” she said. As the Republican president left the White House for his trip, more than an hour after the briefing’s abrupt end, he praised Zacharia’s performance to reporters. “I thought she did excellent. She did very good,” he said, as Zacharia stood behind him. Before taking the questions, Zacharia read slowly from an opening statement that began with a focus on Trump’s recent campaign rallies and his policies on energy, tariffs, immigration and more since he returned to office. In naming Zacharia, who has a law degree from Pepperdine University, Trump described her as “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.” She briefly worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year and has been a commentator for Fox News and Newsmax. She told reporters she viewed her role as press secretary to be no different than the way she advocated for Trump while outside the government. “I get to do what I was doing on the outside already, which was hoping to amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people,” she said. She also thanked Trump and said, “I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.” She took her first question from Breitbart News, the right-wing outlet that has become more influential in the Trump era, and committed to keeping the “new media” rotation created under her predecessor to bring additional media outlets into news briefings and the White House press pool. But Zacharia did make some big news: she said Trump had asked for the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team and we wish her well,” Zacharia said. Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Josh Boak and Collin Binkley in Washington and Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania contributed to this report.
