New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s first briefing was just that: brief. But her 14-minute performance was more than enough to alarm some inside and close to the White House.

During her opening remarks, Zacharia rarely looked up from the binder on the podium. She then took just three questions, all from conservative-leaning outlets. It was a sharp departure from her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, who paired a combative style with an effort to engage reporters across the press corps.

“Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot,” said a White House official who, like others quoted in this story, was granted anonymity to speak candidly to MS NOW.

“She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record,” the official continued, referencing Anthony Scaramucci’s roughly 11-day stint as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017. “Her first impression is leaving staff without confidence in her abilities.”

A second White House official said she appeared unprepared to make her debut at the podium.

“Rough all around,” added a former Trump administration official when asked for a review of Zacharia’s briefing. “The press and the administration are all probably thinking the same thing: we miss Karoline.”

Asked what specifically went wrong, the former official strained to answer.

“I don’t know how you single out one thing,” they said. “It was all tough.”

“Katie did an amazing and effective job advocating on behalf of President Trump and his Administration,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said. “Anyone saying otherwise is either a low level staffer who has no idea what it takes to communicate and inform the American people, or it’s a made-up source.”

Zacharia did make one bit of news: Responding to a question from the Daily Mail, she said the White House had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, to resign following allegations of misconduct. She ended the briefing two minutes later.

Trump’s own assessment was short and sweet.

“I thought she was very good,” he said on the South Lawn moments after the briefing ended.

A senior White House official said Zacharia — whose first day on White House staff was Monday — faces a steep learning curve, given the pace and breadth of change during the first two years of Trump’s second term. The official noted that much of the job happens behind the scenes, in crafting the administration’s messaging and shaping stories, and that the podium is only one part of what she’ll need to master.

The weeks before her arrival showed why that behind-the-scenes work matters. The White House went more than a month without a press secretary after Leavitt’s departure — the longest such gap in modern American history — and showed little urgency to fill the role. That made the stakes of Zacharia’s first briefing even higher, and she notably took the podium on her second day on the job.

During that stretch, Trump tried to bar journalists from MS NOW, CNN and Politico from White House grounds. Two people familiar with the White House’s internal dynamics said the move would not have happened had Leavitt still been in the building. Both were granted anonymity to speak candidly about the press ban.

“I am grateful to serve President Trump as Press Secretary, and I will diligently and effectively amplify his successful agenda,” Zacharia said in response to a request for a comment from MS NOW.

The open question now is how Zacharia, who previously served as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, will work with the president, and whether she can rein in and sharpen his message. 

Zacharia may eventually build that kind of clout. But first, she has to survive the podium: Trump himself is a TV-first president who has long judged his administration officials by how they perform on the air.

Another former Trump aide said Zacharia is “not ready for primetime” and warned that “looking weak, not tough and strong, is what could put her job in jeopardy.” 

“The president forgives a lot, but that can be his pain point,” the former aide said.

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