'Oh, Katie': Psaki lets loose on Trump's new press secretary

[0:00] Okay, I am just going to start tonight by saying something that I never thought I would ever say. [0:09] Caroline Leavitt, wherever you are out there, I miss you. [0:13] Good morning. [0:24] Good morning. [0:25] I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people as the new White House press secretary. [0:37] I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. [0:42] I have wanted to work for him for a very long time. [0:50] I'm looking forward to working with each of you as well, especially as we are in the middle of the midterm blitz with energy and excitement never seen before in the history of midterms, thanks to President Trump. [1:07] Katie, Katie, Katie, I am so deeply uncomfortable already and I've watched it multiple times today. [1:15] I'm not going to lie, that beginning part was rough. [1:17] It was rough to digest, rough to watch. [1:19] But listen, let's focus on the positives. [1:22] Not an easy job. [1:24] You wished everyone a good morning. [1:26] It was, in fact, morning. [1:27] So good job there. [1:29] Read all those words all by yourself without having to sound anything out, at least not while standing behind the podium, maybe before. [1:36] Bit of a jolting start, I would say, but let's just, let's see, let's see where it went from there. [1:40] Just look no further than last night in Youngstown, Ohio, where President Trump delivered another blockbuster rally out on the trail. [1:53] Attendance is at record highs as enthusiastic, hardworking Americans are lining up and packing arenas to support President Trump and Republicans. [2:04] It's not hard to see why. [2:09] Did you notice where she turned the page and said, read? [2:16] It's not hard to see why, because that was necessary to read off the page. [2:20] Okay, let's just stay on the positives. [2:23] This is a little bit like a feedback sandwich. [2:25] You were able to turn the page on your script without getting a visible paper cut. [2:30] Good job. [2:31] You got right to Trump's crowd sizes. [2:33] I'm sure he was delighted about that. [2:36] Can't say you get a gold star for accuracy, though. [2:38] I mean, this was Trump's Ohio rally last night. [2:40] Not exactly record attendance, I wouldn't call it that. [2:44] But, you know, it's never stopped any of your predecessors from lying about crowd sizes. [2:49] So on that front, at least you're given a replacement-level performance so far. [2:53] Now, I do think you violated the Hatch Act at least four times at this point, and we're [2:58] not even that far into the briefing. [2:59] But honestly, you work for a man who ran campaign ads for weeks using taxpayer dollars. [3:03] So don't spend too much time worrying about that part of the feedback. [3:09] After nine minutes, Katie did start taking questions from the press. [3:13] A good sign, given the last White House press briefing was more than six weeks ago. [3:19] This is a president and administration that is looking out for you, the American people. [3:25] And I'm thrilled to officially be part of this incredible journey together. [3:32] And with that, I will take your questions. [3:36] Here in our new media seat, we have Nick Gilbertson from Breitbart. [3:41] Now, the first question from the conservative outlet Breitbart is quite a choice. [3:49] Given their current front page, it currently boasts banner headlines like Kamala Harris [3:54] addresses criticism of her crazy cackle. [3:57] Now, this is relevant for a few reasons, including the fact that traditionally, the first question [4:02] from a White House press secretary in most briefings, but certainly in the first one, [4:06] has gone to the Associated Press. [4:08] Why? [4:09] Because it's one of the oldest and most trusted news organizations in the country. [4:13] But of course, her boss Donald Trump has kicked the Associated Press out of the Oval [4:17] Office, barred them from Air Force One for the incredibly juvenile reason that they won't [4:21] call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. [4:23] So I guess they aren't currently a bet they're per best option, shall we say? [4:27] But let's see what kind of hard-hitting question Breitbart asked. [4:32] I mean, there are so many to pick from, right? [4:35] If you get the first question with the press secretary, first time briefing, there hasn't [4:39] been a briefing in six weeks, you could ask about the Iran wards, a million questions [4:43] there, Trump's historic low approval ratings were just a couple weeks out from the elections, [4:47] the easing of Russia's sanctions last Friday, J.D. Vance's freaking weird comments last night [4:52] about James Tallarico's search history. [4:55] So what did he choose to go with? [4:56] One of the things that your predecessor, Caroline Levitt, did is open this room up to more voices, [5:03] not less. [5:05] At Breitbart, that's something our founder, Andrew Breitbart, certainly believed in. [5:09] And whether that's adding this new media seat, adding new media voices to the pool. [5:13] Can you tell us what you plan to do to continue to ensure that new media voices continue to [5:19] be heard here at the White House? [5:20] Yeah, well, firstly, my predecessor, Caroline Levitt, did an incredible job. [5:24] And I completely agree with the choice of new media seat. [5:28] We are absolutely going to keep it and we're going to expand on it to the extent possible. [5:34] Yes, everyone. [5:36] At a time when we are in the middle of a war, when unemployment is skyrocketing, when the [5:42] president of the United States seems slightly to vary off his rocker on most days, the hard [5:48] hitting question from Breitbart was, will you welcome in more outlets like Breitbart to [5:53] the briefing room? [5:54] And the shocking news breaking answer was, yes. [5:57] Yes, we will. [5:58] You know why? [5:59] Because they want questions like that. [6:01] OK, let's see who she takes a question from next. [6:03] Um, well, we will take Peter Doocy. [6:08] Thanks, Katie. [6:11] Ah, yes. [6:12] Peter Doocy, my favorite sparring partner from the past, the good old days from Fox News. [6:17] Way to go for the hard hitters there, Katie, of all the people in the briefing room. [6:22] So he then asked her a softball question about her new role, which she responded to with, [6:25] well, let's be honest, another very garbled word salad. [6:29] Not going to prolong the torture by playing it for you. [6:31] You can certainly see it for yourself if you want. [6:33] But to his credit, Fox News' Peter Doocy did follow up with a substantive question. [6:38] I think one that a lot of serious reporters in the briefing room probably wanted an answer [6:42] to. [6:43] In fact, it was the only real substantive policy question that she got today, probably because [6:49] she took questions for five minutes. [6:50] But here's how that question went. [6:54] And I want to ask you a policy question. [6:56] Has the U.S. stopped sharing intel with Ukraine? [7:00] I'll have to get back to you on that. [7:03] I'll have to get back to you on that. [7:05] Really, again, it's the one substantive policy question she got all day. [7:12] And a pretty predictable one, I would say. [7:16] OK, so again, feedback will appear, Katie. [7:19] Should you give a second press briefing? [7:21] Should you give one? [7:22] Here are just a couple of basics to just get you started on your prep. [7:25] Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago. [7:27] Despite that, your boss has invited Vladimir Putin back into the world stage and just had [7:31] a warm and fuzzy sounding call with him last week that ended with Trump lifting sanctions [7:35] on Russia, the Ukrainians are suspicious for good reasons about your boss's intentions and [7:41] whether or not they're getting the intel they need. [7:44] So yeah, maybe that one, that should be on the tippy top of the list of topics you're [7:47] prepared for next time. [7:49] Now, after that, Katie only called on one other journalist, a reporter from the right-leaning [7:54] Daily Mail, who asked, which happens, felt to me like a pre-planned question to tee up [8:00] the personnel news that she got to break today. [8:05] The news that Kimberly Guilfoyle would resign her post as ambassador to Grace. [8:09] Of course, that was before the reporter transitioned to another softball about how Katie balances [8:13] her work and family life. [8:15] And then this happened. [8:16] I adore my family. [8:20] I love them. [8:21] They are my priority. [8:23] I love being with my kids. [8:25] The idea of not spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable. [8:31] So my president, excuse me, my husband, that's a good one. [8:37] Okay. [8:38] She loves her family and kids. [8:40] We love all of that. [8:42] Everybody should love all of that. [8:43] But one more note for your briefing book, Katie. [8:46] Try not to confuse your husband with the president, especially in the times we're living in. [8:52] Just ask Natalie Harp. [8:54] Make sure you can tell those two guys apart. [8:57] Draw yourself a little diagram if you have to. [9:00] After all that, after all of that, everyone, okay, after talking for nine minutes and then [9:04] calling on three, one, two, three reporters from right-wing outlets, Katie Zachariah ended [9:10] her first press briefing. [9:13] The whole thing took about 14 minutes. [9:16] I will tell you, I took questions on about 25 topics. [9:20] You can check the tape. [9:21] I'm sure basically everybody who's had the job before me did the same thing. [9:26] And she only spent five minutes of her briefing taking questions from the press, much of which [9:33] seemed either pre-planned or very soft-volley. [9:39] And the reviews, well, they were brutal, even from inside the Trump administration. [9:43] One White House official told MSNOW, getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on [9:48] the wrong foot. [9:49] She needs to get much better, fast. [9:51] Otherwise, she'll break Scaramucci's record. [9:54] Now, that's, of course, a reference to Anthony Scaramucci, the communications director in Trump's [9:59] first administration, who was fired just 11 days into the job after he accidentally, so [10:05] we think, told a reporter on the record that Steve Bannon sucks his own. [10:10] And you know what? [10:11] Just Google that one. [10:13] Now, another White House official called Zachariah's performance rough all around, adding the press [10:18] and the administration are all probably thinking the same thing. [10:21] We miss Caroline. [10:23] When MSNOW asked that official what specifically went wrong, they said, I don't know how you [10:27] single out one thing. [10:29] It was all tough. [10:32] Whew. [10:32] Like, the whole performance was so bad that not one, but not two, but four separate sources [10:39] felt the need to leak to the Washington Post that Trump bypassed his chief of staff, Susie [10:44] Wiles, when he decided to appoint Zachariah. [10:48] So maybe this whole White House press secretary thing isn't really for Katie. [10:52] It's not for everybody. [10:53] Maybe it's just not the job she was meant for. [10:56] That's okay, right? [10:58] I mean, she could always go back to the job she had before all this, which was, what was [11:02] that again? [11:04] I'm a lawyer. [11:05] I went to Pepperdine, Pepperdine Law. [11:06] I practiced corporate law. [11:08] I was a corporate lawyer. [11:09] I practiced corporate law and practiced law as a corporate lawyer. [11:14] I practiced corporate law, especially as a lawyer and a former corporate lawyer. [11:18] I mean, I am a lawyer and I'm a rigorous researcher. [11:24] Rigorous researcher. [11:25] I don't know. [11:25] But anyway, so she says she's a lawyer, a corporate lawyer, which would be a great career [11:29] to fall back on, right? [11:31] Except that new reporting from Judd LeJume at Popular Info revealed today that Katie [11:36] Zechariah is not listed as a member of the State Bar of California, the state where she [11:41] lives, nor is she listed as a member of the State Bar of Texas or as a member of the D.C. [11:45] Bar, the two other places where she worked. [11:47] The Washington Post followed up with their own investigation into Katie Zechariah's legal [11:51] credentials and could not find any active or expired bar emissions under her married or [11:57] maiden name, which is pretty odd. [11:59] Especially when you consider that her LinkedIn account claims that she was once the general [12:04] counsel of a conservative nonprofit called Fix California. [12:08] Now, Trump himself even referred to her as an attorney when announcing his decision to [12:12] appoint her as his press secretary. [12:14] So where exactly is Katie Zechariah licensed to practice law? [12:18] It is a very weird mystery, right? [12:20] Well, she was asked again today about that while standing with the president outside the [12:25] White House. [12:25] And here's what she said. [12:26] It's a little hard to hear there. [12:40] We tried to do some captions for you just in case. [12:43] But she's asked a very straightforward question about where she passed the bar, right? [12:47] It's very straightforward. [12:49] And she seems to respond, when I moved to China. [12:53] Now, when asked to clarify, a White House spokesperson later told reporters Katie moved to China with [12:58] her husband after graduating because of his job at an American private equity firm while she worked [13:03] on international transaction law, which is totally fine. [13:06] You move with your husband by all means. [13:08] But it definitely does not in any way answer the very simple question about where she passed the bar. [13:13] As one legal expert told The Washington Post, she could not have passed the Chinese bar exam [13:17] either, since you have to be a Chinese national to take it. [13:22] So Donald Trump appears to have chosen as his White House press secretary a potentially fake lawyer. [13:28] I don't know. [13:29] I mean, she could answer the questions and provide clarity, who only seems to take questions from friendly [13:33] reporters, and still cannot get through a 14-minute briefing without stumbling over her notes. [13:39] But the whole thing, let's be honest, is objectively funny, OK? [13:42] We've had some fun with it. [13:45] But it's also quite serious. [13:46] I mean, no one has ever done the job perfectly. [13:49] No one has done it perfectly every day at all, either. [13:52] But for decades, the White House press secretary, through presidents who are Democrats and presidents [13:56] who are Republicans, has been a vehicle for providing information to the American public, [14:01] for answering tough questions, for showing the world that the United States values the role [14:04] of a free press. [14:06] And having a forum for reporters, real reporters, to ask tough questions of the White House [14:11] is also an important part of a healthy democracy. [14:14] Every country does not have this in the world. [14:17] So is giving reporters access to the White House, by the way. [14:20] You can't just gesture at the idea of press freedom by putting a figure like Katie Zachariah [14:25] behind the White House podium and say you're doing briefings. [14:29] But Donald Trump has been slowly and systematically hacking away at the kind of press freedom that [14:34] is necessary to cover a presidential administration. [14:36] He's lowered our expectations for what a functioning press office looks like, for what a press secretary [14:42] should be able to do from behind the podium, to be honest. [14:46] Well, at the same time, he tries to ban legitimate press outlets from the White House grounds and [14:50] from the press pool and from access to places you need to be if you're going to cover the [14:54] White House. [14:54] It's all related. [14:55] It's not separate stories. [14:56] It's about cutting off the right of the public to know what is happening in the White House, [15:00] to know what the president is up to every day. [15:03] Hey, it's Rachel. [15:05] I am so glad to see you at the end of that clip because this is where I get to tell you [15:08] about a new way to watch all our clips and all of our shows and everything on MSNOW on [15:14] your phone or your tablet or your laptop. [15:17] You can watch things live or recorded. [15:19] Plus, you can ask me and all the other hosts and reporters questions in our weekly live chats. [15:24] You can go to ms.now slash membership or just click below. [15:31] Thanks.