Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, held her first briefing less than 24 hours after taking the job, and she’s already drawing both praise and warnings from across conservative media.
Dana Perino, who served as press secretary under George W. Bush and is now a Fox News host, offered Zacharia some pointed advice in a conversation with colleague Lawrence Jones. Perino flagged the political reality facing the new spokeswoman: if Democrats take back the House in the midterms, the legal pressure on the administration will intensify fast.
“We know her a little bit. She is very bright. She’s a lawyer. Doing the briefing this morning is interesting. I am a morning person—I like to brief in the morning. She has been known to say she likes the press. Perhaps she will try to kill them with kindness. It is an aggressive move to do a briefing this quickly. How much time has she had with the president? She might have to say, ‘I’ll get back to you, let me touch base.’ I can think of all the tough questions. I know she’s been preparing all weekend. The fact she’s a lawyer will help her navigate questions. And also, if the Democrats do take over the House, look out—that is when all the legal stuff comes to the forefront. You know that.”
In a separate Fox News Channel appearance, Perino elaborated on just how demanding the job is, regardless of who holds it.
“I will say a couple of things. One, what people see is the hour that you’re briefing a day. But what they don’t realize is the 23 other hours of the day is when all of the other work happens, and there’s a ton of that to do. You’re responding to press requests, you’re getting briefed, you’re with the president, you’re having to know a lot about everything.”
Perino, who held the press secretary job during the final two years of a second term herself, said those stretches tend to be especially hard, particularly if the midterms don’t break the administration’s way. She argued Zacharia’s legal background will serve her well.
“Also, just take it from me—I was press secretary the last two years of a second term. Those are usually very tough years, especially if the midterms don’t go your way. The fact that she is a lawyer is a great skill. I had only worked at DOJ for a year, so I’m like a one-year law student. I do think that could come in very handy for her because almost every story does have a legal component.”
Perino closed by wishing Zacharia well, noting how much the media landscape has shifted since she left the podium herself. “When I first left the White House, I didn’t even have a Twitter account or a Facebook page,” she said.
A Mixed First Review
Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet weighed in on Zacharia’s debut performance, calling the decision to brief reporters immediately a smart move.
“Thought it was smart of new WH Press Sec Katie Zacharia to rip the band-aid and hold her first press briefing straight away. She came off perhaps a bit nervous reading the prepared statement, but very relatable and likeable. She lit up when talking when about her family. And she made news (that wasn’t about her), dropping a bomb with the news that Amb. Guilfoyle has been asked to resign. She also announced new midterm rally stops for the president.”
Zacharia’s first briefing also produced real news beyond her own introduction: she announced that Ambassador Guilfoyle has been asked to resign, and she laid out new midterm rally stops for the president.
Media Double Standard Called Out
Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly pushed back hard against commentators criticizing Zacharia’s first outing, pointing to how differently those same voices treated former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“These left wing pundits so horrified by Katie Zacharia’s performance at her FIRST press briefing are the same ppl who told us Karine Jean-Pierre was amazing at the job and that if you disagreed you were sexist/racist/bigoted against lesbians. Please.”
The contrast matters heading into November. Perino’s message was simple: the briefing room job gets tougher the closer Democrats get to retaking the House, because that’s when legal fights over the administration move to center stage.
