Telling ‘Freudian slip’ from Trump’s new press secretary pinpointed by George Conway

George Conway said Thursday that Katie Zacharia’s stumble at her first White House briefing, when she referred to her husband as “my president,” was “quite the Freudian slip.”

The lawyer and Trump critic, who ran unsuccessfully in a Democratic congressional primary in New York earlier this year, discussed the moment with Tim Miller on The Bulwark’s flagship podcast. Conway also just launched his own Bulwark show, Psycho Politics. Miller played a clip from Zacharia’s debut briefing Tuesday.

Asked how she would balance the job with raising four children while her family remained in California, Zacharia said her husband had brought the kids to Washington. After saying she couldn’t accept missing evenings with her children, she added: “So my president, excuse me, my husband — that’s a good one.” The room broke into laughter, The Independent reported.

Conway said the slip was only the beginning of her problems.

“Yeah, that was quite the Freudian slip. Look, she’s obviously not good at even reading stuff. Very bad at reading,” Conway said. He added that she “can’t read her notes” and called her “a complete wacko.”

Conway argued her delivery isn't as bad as her record. He noted she has “peddled conspiracy theories,” pointing to past claims about vaccines, and called her “another sycophant who’s not going to tell the truth.” The Bulwark previously reported on a string of her deleted posts, including conspiracy theories and calls for Trump to seek a third term.

Conway went easier on Zacharia over questions about whether she’s a licensed lawyer, saying he’s fine with someone who holds a law degree calling themselves a lawyer, as long as they don’t claim to practice.

Those questions have dogged her since a Popular Information investigation found no record that she was ever admitted to practice law in any state. Asked by a reporter where she passed the bar, Zacharia replied, “When I moved to China.”

Zacharia’s debut drew brutal reviews from critics across the political spectrum. She took just three questions before ending the briefing in under 15 minutes.