Katie Zaccaria, the new White House Press Secretary for U.S. President Donald Trump, inadvertently referred to her boss as her “husband.” During her first press conference on Tuesday, she faced an awkward moment while answering journalists’ questions about how she would balance this demanding role with raising four children.
Zaccaria succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down as Press Secretary last August. She appeared at the briefing for only 14 minutes and answered questions from just three media outlets before abruptly concluding the session.
A journalist asked Zaccaria how she would manage her family life alongside the hectic responsibilities of the White House. Notably, Leavitt had previously resigned citing the need to spend more time with her children and the immense pressure of the job.
In response, Zaccaria said, “The thought of not spending the evening with my children is completely unthinkable, so my President… sorry, my husband is out here.” Her slip of the tongue immediately drew laughter from the room.
Quickly recovering with a touch of humor, she remarked, “That’s actually a pretty good thing.” She then praised Trump and highlighted the significance of his decision to appoint her to the position.
Zaccaria mentioned that her family would be relocating from California to Washington, D.C. She noted that appointing a mother of four to this role demonstrates Trump’s support for working women.
Zaccaria began the briefing with a prepared statement, outlining Trump’s policies on energy, tariffs, and immigration, as well as the campaign for the upcoming November midterm elections. She described her role as an opportunity to more effectively promote the President’s agenda. She told reporters that she now has the opportunity to continue the work she had been doing from the outside: promoting and expanding upon Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people.
Describing Trump as his own best spokesperson, Zakaria took her first question from the right-wing outlet Breitbart News. She also pledged to maintain the practice initiated by Leavitt of including new media outlets in briefings and the press pool.
However, her initial brief session concluded quickly; after announcing that Trump was preparing to depart the White House via Marine One, she told reporters they could direct their questions to Trump himself.
