“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, describing her vision for the job.
She’s also replacing the combative but skilled former press secretary Karoline Leavitt at a time when polls show the 80-year-old president becoming ever more unpopular.
Little known to the general public, Zacharia opened her first session at the famous briefing room podium by reading – at a notably slow pace – a lengthy list of what she said were achievements under the “energetic” leader.
These types of initial roundups, dubbed “toppers” in White House press lingo, are usually followed by a long question-and-answer session in the packed room – often extending to dozens of questions.
But Zacharia took questions from just three reporters, starting with right-wing website Breitbart, an outlet frequently accused of spreading conspiracy theories.
The next questions went to Fox News, one of the key pillars of Trump’s media support, and to the Daily Mail tabloid website.
With that, after just 15 minutes, Zacharia declared the briefing finished and walked out, pursued by the sound of reporters shouting unanswered questions.
“I thought she was very good,” Trump, known to enjoy watching his staffers’ performances on television, later told reporters.
