Donald Trump's New Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Accused of Timing TV Appearances to Get President's Attention: Report

According to a Politico Playbook report, newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia secured her position by timing her television appearances to coincide with moments when President Donald Trump was likely watching.

A source familiar with her approach said Zacharia deliberately avoided openly lobbying for the job after former press secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped down in August. Instead, she used a calculated on-air strategy to audition.

She allegedly checked Trump's public schedule daily and tracked his active hours on Truth Social.

She booked interviews on conservative networks during windows when she expected the president to be on TV.

The tactic effectively piqued the president's interest. Beyond getting Trump’s attention on air, prominent anchors at Fox News, Newsmax, and One America News reinforced her advocacy for her candidacy.

Trump officially announced her appointment on Friday, October 9, and she began her term on October 12, ahead of her first official media briefing scheduled for Tuesday, October 1.

Critics, including a White House insider, blasted that debut briefing as a disaster.

Media observers say Zacharia, 41, looks like what Trump calls “central casting,” but her shaky debut needs work.

"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,” an anonymous White House official told MS NOW’s Jake Traylor. Another insider told MS NOW's Peter Alexander it was a "trainwreck."

Anthony Scaramucci infamously served as Trump’s White House Communications Director for 10 days in 2017.

Multiple media outlets, including The New Republic and The Daily Beast, described her performance as deeply unpolished.

Critics mocked her clunky cadence, frequent long pauses, and visible discomfort when she read directly from her prepared opening notes. Journalist Aaron Rupar pointedly observed that her rocky presentation "makes Karoline Leavitt seem like Winston Churchill."

Reports from The Daily Mail and The Daily Beast indicate that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles preferred CNN commentator Scott Jennings to replace Leavitt as White House press secretary. However, Trump ultimately overrode her preference and chose Zacharia.

Despite Wiles' preference for Jennings, Trump was deeply impressed by Zacharia's staunch television defenses of his administration and bypassed his chief of staff to call Zacharia directly and offer her the job. An administration source noted that while Wiles sought a candidate aligned with her, Trump explicitly selected one based on direct loyalty to him.

The POTUS formally announced his pick on Friday, praising her “unblemished record of support” and calling her “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.”