How long will 'White House Barbie' last? Trump's new press secretary is ridiculed after clunky debut

Published: 23:04 BST, 13 October 2026 | Updated: 23:04 BST, 13 October 2026

Bleach blonde hair, a perma-tan and a gaffe-prone appearance before the media? It could only be the debut of Donald Trump's new press secretary.

Katie Zacharia, a Fox News commentator previously dubbed 'ICE Barbie' for her photos with immigration agents, was ridiculed for her first briefing on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old started with a toe-curling monologue praising the US President and saying she 'wanted to work for him for a very long time'.

She went on to stumble over her words when describing the US's 'historic one-day war' with Venezuela saying: 'Now we are - have a booming economy.'

Becoming more flustered by the minute, she mistakenly referred to 'my president' when talking about her husband, Tyler, and her four children, who have joined her in Washington. 

'The idea of not spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable,' she said. 'So my president, excuse me, my husband - that's a good one - my husband is out here for the week.'

Ms Zacharia had also not prepared for questions on whether the US had cut intelligence-sharing with Ukraine – one of the biggest issues of the day – telling reporters: 'I will need to check on that.'

After just 14 minutes in which she took questions from only three outlets, including the Mail, she abruptly ended the briefing.

Katie Zacharia (pictured), a Fox News commentator previously dubbed 'ICE Barbie' for her photos with immigration agents, was ridiculed for her first briefing on Tuesday

Ms Zacharia was appointed press secretary this week after Karoline Leavitt (pictured), 29, stepped down in August

Ms Zacharia was appointed press secretary this week after Karoline Leavitt, 29, stepped down in August.

She previously worked as a spokesman for the department of homeland security, lasting only six weeks until March. Yesterday, Mr Trump told reporters he thought she was 'very good'.

But Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted just 11 days in the post during Mr Trump's first term, said: 'The clock is running.'

It came as Ukraine said it had received 'no warning' from allies about a series of Russian strikes on Monday night.

President Volodymyr Zelensky did not single out the US, which has been pressuring Kyiv to make concessions, but posted on X that 'intelligence data [helps] save people's lives'.