Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer expressed sympathy for his successor, Katie Zacharia, after her bumpy first appearance behind the briefing room podium. In an interview Wednesday on "The Huddle" podcast with former Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine, Spicer said he understood the unique pressures of the job.
Zacharia, who was announced as Karoline Leavitt's replacement just four days before her debut, faced criticism for a 14-minute briefing in which she appeared nervous, frequently consulted her notes, and made several verbal missteps—including referring to her husband as "my president." She also drew scrutiny for being unable to answer a Fox News question about Ukraine, a topic dominating headlines, and took questions from only three outlets.
Spicer attributed much of her difficulty to a lack of preparation time. "You got to know everything. Russia, Iran, the economy, legislative priorities, the midterms. You cannot cram for that that soon," he said. "I felt bad because you're setting someone up for failure by trying to do that that quick."
He also noted the intense personal scrutiny that comes with the role. "There's a level of scrutiny into your personal background, every post that you've made, your family, your business records, your family records," Spicer said. That scrutiny has only intensified for Zacharia, who now faces questions about her legal credentials after a bizarre exchange in which she said, "When I moved to China," when asked which state bar exam she passed. A watchdog has since called for a California bar investigation into her law claims.
Spicer, who resigned in 2017 after Anthony Scaramucci was hired as communications director, said the media and political left subject press secretaries to a level of scrutiny that is impossible to prepare for. "I don't think that people fully appreciate that the media and the left are going through and scrutinizing you and creating a level of intensity that … you cannot prepare yourself for," he said.
While Zacharia has extensive television experience from Fox News appearances and a solid communications background, Spicer said the pressure of being the president's chief spokesperson is "not even close" to anything else. Her rocky start has already drawn attention from Scaramucci, who jabbed that the clock is running on Zacharia, and other observers who have noted her rocky debut and early skepticism.
Spicer's comments offer a rare note of empathy from a former insider who knows the job's demands. As Zacharia seeks to find her footing, the coming days will test whether she can overcome the early missteps and convince skeptics that she is up to the task.
