New White House Spokesperson: How Long Will They Last? / Newsweek: Katie Zakaria's Disappointing Start Recalls Anthony Scaramucci's Brief Tenure

Just two days after the appointment of the new White House spokesperson, the clock has started ticking on how long they can survive in Washington's circles of power, with a pace resembling the cautionary fate of Anthony Scaramucci. The first official appearance before reporters was a session full of anxiety, stammering and mechanical recitation of the government's achievements, ending after answering only three questions and a hurried exit from the conference room, and even among senior government officials this speculation is being voiced

Only two days after the appointment of the new spokesperson of the White House, the hands of the timer have been used to measure the duration of his survival in the circle of power in Washington with an acceleration similar to the instructive fate of Anthony Scaramucci; His first official appearance in front of reporters was a meeting full of anxiety, stammering and mechanical recitation of the government's achievements, which ended by answering only three questions and hastily fleeing from the conference room, and even among senior officials of the government, there was speculation that he might become the record holder for the shortest term of office in the history of the White House.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Newsweek magazine wrote that the start of the new spokesperson of the Trump administration on Tuesday, October 22 (October 13) can be evaluated with the same famous description of Thomas Hobbes: anxious, clumsy and extremely short.

The virtual reflections and the media's reaction to the first 15-minute show of the White House spokesperson, Katie Zakaria, were very stinging and cruel.

Almost half of the time of this meeting was spent in a robot-like reading of the list of achievements of US President Donald Trump in a style similar to artificial intelligence.

After that, he only answered the questions of three media reporters and before the president's flight to Alaska, he abruptly closed the meeting and left the hall amidst the unanswered shouts of news-hungry reporters.

CNN's Peter Alexander, citing a senior Trump administration official, predicted that his performance would be a complete "accidental train wreck."

The sharpest quip, however, came from an unnamed White House official speaking to MSNow's Jake Traylor, who said, "He's going to have to get better very, very quickly or he's going to break Scaramucci's record."

The ghost of Scaramucci and hasty judgments in Washington

American journalist Aaron Ropar wrote that Zakaria's performance made his predecessor, Carolyn Levitt, look like Winston Churchill.

Also, a number of legal critics accused him of violating the "Hatch Act" (prohibiting the use of federal space for partisan purposes) by promoting Trump's election rallies for the November 12 contests from behind the government's official podium.

Despite this, the Newsweek writer believes that evaluating the first press conference is not a reliable basis for predicting the durability of a speaker.

Zakaria is Trump's sixth spokesman during his presidency and perhaps deserves a longer clock than his colleagues.

On July 21, 2017, Anthony Scaramucci gave a charismatic performance in his first appearance in the conference room and even blew a kiss to the reporters, but exactly 10 days later (or 11 days according to his own count) he was fired by the then chief of staff, John Kelly, and recorded his name as a political moment in America; A unit that later measured Liz Truss' short tenure as Prime Minister in the UK at 4.1 Scaramucci.

Sean Spicer, who falsely claimed the largest inauguration crowd on his inauguration day and answered no questions, lasted six months, the equivalent of more than 16 Scaramuccis, and Stephanie Grisham didn't hold a single press conference during her nine months in office; By these standards, answering three questions is not a poor start for Zakaria.

Even in Democratic governments, Karin Jean-Pierre railed against Republicans from the official podium before the 2022 election and was reprimanded by investigators for violating the Hatch Act, but remained in office until the end of Joe Biden's term.

A spokesperson for the president who is the main spokesperson himself

The fundamental lesson of the Scaramucci era is that the hands of the longevity clock are not set in the press room, but by the president himself.

Upon his arrival, Zakaria called Trump "his best spokesperson"; A description that in the current White House is more than a political flattery, a detailed description of job duties.

The president, who himself answers a barrage of questions directly, turns his spokesman into a warm-up host before the main star arrives, and Trump's unpredictable improvisations defy any attempt at coherent coordination.

Being a spokesperson for the government in the field is completely different from appearing in the commentary programs of the cable televisions where Zakaria made his name; There are no accompanying presenters or commercials here, and seasoned reporters greet one with tough and aggressive questions.

Nevertheless, Zakaria managed to make news in this very first meeting and officially announced that Kimberly Guilfoyle, Washington's disgraced ambassador to Greece, had been asked to resign.

Although more difficult questions about his previous positions and deleted tweets are coming, and 15-minute meetings will not be the answer to the media pressure of the elections, if Zakaria stays behind this podium until November 2 (October 23), he will break Scaramucci's record, and by the election day of November 12, he will have exactly one more Scaramucci ahead of him.