Katie Zacharia's 'Dumpster Fire' Debut Sparks White House Backlash as Leaked Texts Claim New Press Secretary Was 'Set Up to Fail'
Katie Zacharia's first news briefing was allegedly criticized by Trump officials.
Oct. 16 2026, Published 1:51 p.m. ET
Katie Zacharia received backlash after her first press briefing – and some of the criticism appears to be coming from inside the White House, RadarOnline.com can report.
Alleged texts from Trump administration staff, who were not named, suggested that she'd performed poorly and may have been set up to "fail."
Alleged Texts Between Trump Admin Staff
One Trump official allegedly said Zacharia could 'barely read.'
"She should have gone on longer and had substantive answers ready,'’ a senior administration official alleged, according to a publication. “She could barely read.'’
"She looked as if she was handed a piece of paper at the last minute and wasn't prepared properly,'’ another Trump world source reportedly added. "So who in the building wanted her to fail?'’
A third text from a senior administration official allegedly read, "They have no idea who to hire. We’re entering wartime and they're completely unequipped."
It is unclear if this was sent by the same senior staff member as the first message.
A GOP communications expert allegedly responded with trash can and fire emojis—as if to express "dumpster fire."
However, other officials felt sympathetic toward Zacharia.
"Look, Katie has never done that before, and I think it's insane for the press shop to just throw someone to the wolves like that,” a source from the White House allegedly stated. "But it always gets better.'’
“I feel badly for her... her kids and family watching,'’ another insider reportedly added.
Was Katie Zacharia Prepared?
Some Trump officials shared their thoughts on Zacharia's hiring.
According to the publication, "more than half a dozen" members of Trump administration staff said that they thought Zacharia didn't get enough "preparation.’’
Meanwhile, an unidentified senior Trump official reportedly said, “Her hiring and the briefing shows this White House is collapsing now that they're facing real pressure.”
Inside Katie Zacharia’s First Press Conference
Zacharia's first news briefing was unexpectedly short.
As Radar previously reported, the briefing started 15 minutes late, and when Zacharia finally took the stage, it was only for 14 minutes.
She spent eight of them introducing herself and discussing Trump's presidency. During that time, she appeared to be reading from a script – something that concerned many critics.
"She’s going to have to answer presumably tough questions on the fly. And she is reading her remarks right now quite extensively," political analyst John Avlon told MS NOW.
When Zacharia did take questions, it was only from Fox News, Breitbart, and the Daily Mail.
Katie Zacharia's Flub
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Zacharia only answered three questions.
Zacharia notably flubbed her words when questioned on how she’ll manage motherhood and her new role.
"This idea of not spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable, so my president... uh, excuse me, my husband is out here," she said.
When Fox News' Peter Doocy asked her if the U.S. still gives "intel" to Ukraine, Zacharia said that she was unsure and she’d need to "get back" to Doocy.
The biggest moment came when she announced that U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, was asked to resign following corruption allegations.
