Donald Trump's First Press Secretary Sean Spicer Cautions President Against Favoring Candidates Who 'Look Pretty' When Filling White House Role

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer urged President Donald Trump to look beyond appearances and loyalty after Katie Zacharia stepped down after an ignominious five days on the job.

During an interview on News24, anchor Andrew Bolt questioned Spicer on whether the situation reflected a vetting failure or a tendency by Trump to select individuals who "look pretty and just agree with him" over those who are qualified.

Spicer, 55, conceded that visual presentation and loyalty account for only about 20 percent of the job.

He cautioned the administration against letting image dominate the selection process, stating, "I caution the White House and the president in particular for just focusing on that part of the duties.”

Spicer emphasized that the role involves extensive back-end coordination, including managing policy rollouts, working across government agencies, communicating with Congress and handling media logistics.

"If you're telling me that you don't have a real fundamental grasp of how the government operates, you've never worked at the press corps — then this might not be the best fit for you,” Spicer said.

After six months on the job, Spicer resigned as White House Press Secretary on July 21, 2017, following his objections to hiring Anthony Scaramucci, 62, as communications director.

Since leaving, he published a memoir, competed on Dancing with the Stars, hosted a show on Newsmax TV, and hosts a radio show on WABC AM.

Zacharia, 41, was appointed to replace Karoline Leavitt, 29, who left the position in August. Zacharia's brief tenure collapsed after a highly criticized, 14-minute debut briefing on October 13, during which she appeared noticeably nervous, read heavily from notes, and mistakenly referred to her husband as "my president.”

Her appointment faced further complications after media scrutiny revealed she had repeatedly presented herself as a corporate lawyer despite never passing a state bar exam. After speaking with Trump, Zacharia left the role on October 16.

While the position remains vacant, Spicer said the POTUS should hire a more stalwart spokesperson.

“That is the most intense job I will ever ever have,” he said.

Scaramucci agrees, describing the job of a Trump White House Press Secretary as demanding the ability to "lie like a machine gunner at a turret" with "great impunity" and "great enthusiasm.”

In an interview with The New Yorker, Scaramucci remarked, "That podium is a hard podium, as we all know," adding that if a spokesperson lacks full confidence in the data or information in front of them, they will look "like a deer in the headlights" under intense rapid-fire media scrutiny.