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asserted
you → send → this
But she already has eyes on setting the record for longest press secretary tenure under Trump.
asserted
she → have → Trump
She’ll have to learn Secrets’ rules of press secretarying…
asserted
She → have → secretarying
It probably made sense in the strategy meeting.
asserted
It → make → meeting
A new press secretary had only been in the job for 24 hours before being sent out for her first briefing, so keep it short, drop a news bombshell and get out before anything can go wrong.
asserted
anything → send → bombshell
But when Katie Zacharia ended her briefing after just 14 minutes — opening remarks of eight minutes, followed by six minutes of questions from just three reporters — the result was uproar.
asserted
result → end → reporters
“Has the president spoken to Kimberly Guilfoyle?” shouted one reporter, moments after Zacharia announced the ambassador to Greece had been asked to resign after a string of damaging headlines.
asserted
ambassador → speak → headlines
“Is she going to resign?” shouted another.
asserted
another → go → ?
The door behind her had slid open, offering safe passage to her office, but Zacharia lingered.
asserted
Zacharia → slide → office
She had not yet learned the first lesson of press secretarying: When you say it’s over, it’s over.
asserted
it → learn → secretarying
She explained that the president himself would be ready to field questions in just a few moments as he boarded Marine One for Alaska, and that they would all be back from their trip on Thursday.
asserted
they → explain → Thursday
And with that she was gone.
asserted
she → go → that
Her smash-and-grab raid was completed, leaving bewilderment among the assembled ranks of the White House press corps.
asserted
raid → complete → corps
“Who’s her replacement going to be?” wondered one old hand.
asserted
hand → go → Who
Zacharia was announced as Karoline Leavitt’s replacement on Friday.
asserted
Zacharia → announce → Friday
She started her job at 7 a.m. Monday, a federal holiday.
asserted
She → start → a.m.
And then she was thrown before the baying lions, sorry, journalists, of the briefing room at the unusually early time of 9:40 a.m.
It is one thing to punch your weight looking at a Fox News camera.
asserted
It → throw → camera
It is another thing to do it in front of almost 100 people who want to make you look stupid.
asserted
you → do → people
Zacharia worked through her opening remarks steadily, thanking the president.
asserted
Zacharia → work → president
“I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” she said.
asserted
she → want → time
“I’m looking forward to working with each of you as well.”
asserted
I → look → you
Perhaps the first line for the fact-checkers to get into.
asserted
checkers → get → line
Then she hit all her marks, listing the president’s achievements in a midterm-friendly list: purchasing power up, inward investment in the trillions of dollars, tariffs and border security choking off fentanyl imports, energy dominance and jobs growing, fraud under scrutiny.
asserted
she → hit → scrutiny
Zacharia began slowly, her nerves showing as she worked through the list, but grew in confidence as she delivered the bullet points.
And she spoke to the reporters in the room, not to the main camera at the back, another thing she will learn.
asserted
she → begin → back
It brought a rave review from her direct boss.
asserted
It → bring → boss
“A tremendous start for the new White House press secretary,” posted Steven Cheung, White House director of communications.
asserted
Cheung → post → communications
“She commanded the room and effectively reminded the American people of all the great work President Trump and his Administration has done thus far.”
asserted
Trump → command → work
For her questions, Zacharia turned to friendly faces: Breitbart, Fox News, and the Daily Mail, which asked whether her predecessor had offered advice on the job and how to balance it with family life.
asserted
predecessor → turn → life
She answered with a slip, as she explained how her husband had brought her four children over from California for the week, as a prelude to moving here full time.
asserted
husband → answer → prelude
“So my president, or excuse me, my husband,” she said, perhaps giving away more than she wanted about how she viewed the job.
asserted
she → excuse → job
“That’s a good one.”
asserted
That → ’ → ?
Leavitt had been nothing but supportive, Zacharia added.
asserted
Zacharia → add → ?
“She gave me great and wonderful feedback on how to balance.
asserted
She → give → feedback
I think this job is not one you necessarily balance …” she said of her predecessor, before explaining that she had managed to include her kids on visits to Fox News studios and would find ways to work it out in the new role.
asserted
she → think → role
Leavitt gave her final briefing at the end of August.
asserted
Leavitt → give → August
“It’s been a moment,” said one reporter as she hunted for her seat on the front row.
asserted
she → say → row
“I’m hoping this is the right one.”
asserted
this → hop → ?
There was a last-minute switcheroo as a TV reporter realized he was sitting in the wrong place.
asserted
he → be → place
But others came prepared for a new press secretary who had yet to put names to faces.
asserted
who → come → faces
Six people wore green jackets, three turned up in red suits, four wore pink blazers, and two reporters were dressed in orange, including a male journalist.
asserted
reporters → wear → journalist
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
