My President... my husband: Trump's new press secretary's 1st briefing goes awry

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia mixed up President Donald Trump with her husband during her debut briefing. The slip became the defining moment of an awkward press conference, though Trump praised her performance.

In Short

• Katie Zacharia ended the press briefing abruptly after 14 minutes
• Media outlets criticised her debut press conference as awkward, robotic
• Trump praised her performance as excellent despite the gaffe

Donald Trump's new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, stumbled through her first briefing on Monday, mistakenly referring to the US president as her husband before abruptly ending the session after just 14 minutes.

After taking to the lectern on Tuesday, Zacharia spent much of the briefing reading prepared remarks praising Trump and highlighting his administration's actions. But her debut was overshadowed by a verbal slip-up and a series of awkward moments.

"I'm so honoured to work with President Trump... I want to thank him for the trust that he has placed in me. I've wanted to work for him for a very long time," she gushed at the outset.

The 41-year-old later confused her boss with her husband while answering a question about balancing the demanding role of White House press secretary with raising four children.

A Daily Mail correspondent asked Zacharia how she planned to manage the high-pressure job while making time for her children. It was a routine question for any woman in politics. But she botched it.

After a shoutout to her husband, film producer Tyler Zacharia, and stating that "not spending evenings" with her children was "completely unacceptable", she made an embarrassing faux pas.

"My President — excuse me, my husband -- is out here," she said, mixing up Trump with her spouse.

Zacharia attempted to brush off the flub, responding with, "Wow, that's a good one," but appeared flustered. She then beat a hasty retreat from the Briefing Room, bringing her first press conference to an end in less than 15 minutes.

The Daily Mail described her speech as "slightly robotic", while The Independent’s verdict was that the briefing went "almost as badly as it could possibly go". The publication summed up her performance as an "eye-wateringly bad debut".

Trump, however, offered a markedly different assessment.

"I thought she did excellent. She did very good," he told reporters, with Zacharia standing behind him, before jetting off for a historic visit to Alaska.

DECODING TRUMP’S PICK

Zacharia's appointment came as a surprise in Washington after weeks of speculation over whom Trump would choose to replace his outgoing press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

"A devoted fan and member of MAGA", as Trump described her, Zacharia takes charge of the White House's messaging as the US President faces mounting political challenges.

Trump's approval rating has fallen to record lows, while Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress in next month's midterm elections. The President has urged supporters to vote as though his name were on the ballot, turning the contest into a referendum on his presidency amid widespread economic discontent and an unpopular war with Iran.

Zacharia previously served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and now works as a communications adviser for Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the President's social media platform, Truth Social. Trump announced her selection on the platform.

WHO IS KATIE ZACHARIA?

A California native, Zacharia has long been involved in Republican politics and frequently appeared as a commentator on Fox News, where she promoted or defended Trump's policies and criticised Democrats.

She attended Pepperdine University, where she served as president of the College Republican organisation. She also interned in the White House Office of Political Affairs during the second Bush administration and at the Republican National Committee.

Zacharia earned a law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011. However, questions have emerged over her legal credentials.

Her name does not appear on the California State Bar's website, raising questions about whether she passed the bar exam in her home state. When a reporter asked where she had passed the exam, a prerequisite for becoming an attorney, Zacharia shot back: "When I moved to China."

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