Katie Zacharia (left) appears on Fox News' "Fox & Friends," Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (Screengrab / Fox News)
President Donald Trump’s newly appointed White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, stumbled through her answer Friday when asked by Fox News whether she believed she still had the president’s confidence following her rocky debut.
Zacharia appeared on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” Friday to praise her new boss, calling Trump the “most hard-working, incredible man,” adding that she was “grateful” to have been named as Karoline Leavitt’s replacement.
Her debut this week, however, marked by verbal slip-ups and her eyes glued to her notes, rattled White House insiders, who reportedly began “frantically” texting one another after her first press briefing, fearing her performance made the administration look like it was in disarray.
Fox News’ Lawrence Jones, in the closing moments of Zacharia’s appearance on the network, asked Trump’s new press secretary a “tough” question.
“Katie, do you — and it's a tough question — do you think you still have the confidence of the president?” Jones asked.
Zacharia stumbled through her answer while ultimately avoiding the underlying question.
“Uh, I'm — I'm standing here, and I was able to travel with him through all of the midterm convention — or, excuse me, the midterm rallies — and I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me,” Zacharia said.
Just days after her debut, gamblers are betting that Zacharia could be ousted by the Trump administration within weeks, with the prediction market platform Kalshi showing a 94% chance Tuesday that Trump’s new press secretary would be axed by Nov. 1.
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