Alyssa Farah Griffin Questions New White House Press Secretary's Qualifications

<figure><img alt="Newly appointed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia speaks during her first press briefing in the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 13, 2026." src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/GBL5MY4OKBCC7LKNGMOIYH5HEY.jpg?auth=cd8fdcd6b1965edf4a86fb419d7bef537f1bc17a269bd138d8f525281aa23b50&amp;smart=true&amp;width=7623&amp;height=4288" /><figcaption>JIM WATSON / Jim Watson, Getty Images</figcaption></figure><p>Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House communications director under President Donald Trump, expressed skepticism regarding the qualifications of the new White House Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia, following her initial press briefing.</p><p>Griffin, who is now a co-host on <i>The View</i>, was among several commentators from various political backgrounds to critique Zacharia's performance during her first briefing, where she appeared to struggle with the questions posed to her.</p><p>In a post on X, Griffin stated, “WH Press Secretary, even when you’re 100% on partisan talking points, is still an incredibly difficult job that people spend years preparing for.”</p><p>She continued, highlighting the experience of former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who had previously worked in the White House and Congress, saying, “It’s way harder than being a cable news pundit.”</p><p>Zacharia, who has made appearances on Fox News and Newsmax, concluded her briefing after only 14 minutes, taking questions solely from conservative media outlets, including Breitbart, Fox, and the Daily Mail. Despite the supportive nature of the questions, she had difficulty responding, particularly when asked about balancing her new role with family responsibilities.</p><p>During the briefing, she awkwardly remarked, “The idea of not spending evenings with my kid, kids are completely unacceptable, so my president, err excuse me, my husband, that’s a good one, my husband is out here, is out here for the week.”</p><p>Reports indicate that some White House officials are concerned about her performance, with one official stating, “Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast. Otherwise, she’ll break Scaramucci’s record,” referring to Anthony Scaramucci, who served as communications director for just 10 days in 2017.</p><p>Additionally, Zacharia is facing scrutiny regarding her legal background. While she claims to have practiced law, an independent investigation by Popular Information found no public records indicating that she passed a bar exam or was admitted to practice in any state. Her LinkedIn profile mentions her work as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm, a prominent Chinese law firm, but does not confirm her legal credentials in the U.S.</p><p>In response to the allegations, Zacharia stated to <a href="https://x.com/DashaBurns/status/2110059076776554667" title="https://x.com/DashaBurns/status/2110059076776554667">Politico</a> that she “practiced international transactional law, with all the appropriate credentials” and emphasized that she never intended to live in China.</p><p>This criticism is not new for Griffin, who resigned from her position in the Trump administration following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Recently, she also commented on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement regarding the live-streaming of an execution, stating, “I support the death penalty, especially for terrorists. But I think it’s toxic for society to live-stream an execution. And bad for the human soul to tune in to watch.”</p>