From the 30th White House Press Secretary to the 37th: My Advice for Katie Zacharia
In case you forgot - and take my word for it, there’s no need to search the archives - I had a tough first outing behind the podium as White House Press Secretary.
So when the new White House Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia, stepped up for her first briefing this week, I immediately recognized the immense pressure of that room. Like my own debut, her first outing didn’t go exactly as it was drawn up on the whiteboard. While I had originally planned to brief on the first full workday following a long three-day holiday weekend, the President had other plans.
Unlike Katie, however, I entered the briefing room with a few built-in advantages. I had weeks of mock briefings under my belt with the staff, along with over a week of on-camera transition briefings. The team surrounding me was composed largely of colleagues I had worked alongside for years. Plus, I had decades of experience navigating the Washington press corps and over two decades in government - serving as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, two decades in the military, and working for more than ten members of Congress.
Katie’s first day on the job was a federal holiday. I wonder if she even had time to get issued a badge and computer, let alone process the mountain of onboarding paperwork. Then, just hours later, she was sent out to address an unfamiliar, hungry press corps expecting her to speak authoritatively on every issue from domestic economic strategy to complex foreign policy.
Having stood at that podium, taken the heat, and managed the daily pressure cooker of the White House briefing room, here are 5 crucial lessons for surviving - and thriving - in one of the toughest jobs in politics.
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Stories I’m reading…
Hillary Clinton Steps to the Podcast Mic as Midterms Approach - via The New York Times
US to Use Cold War-Era Law to Expand Delek Refinery in Texas, Vance Says in Visit to Texas - via Bloomberg
Stefany Shaheen Backs Federal Bill to Block NH’s Voter ID Law - via NH Journal
Abdul El-Sayed Called Himself an ‘Immigrant From North Africa’ During 2017 Michigan Dem Convention Speech - via The Washington Free Beacon
Americans Shouldn’t Pay the Price for Crypto Billionaires’ Political Influence - via Daily Signal
James Talarico ruthlessly fact-checked by voter after claiming Bible is ‘silent’ on abortion at CNN town hall - via New York Post
Justice Dept. sues California officials over 20K alleged noncitizen voters - via The Washington Post
Trump administration advances plan for peptide drugs favored by RFK Jr. - via AP News
Kristi Noem no longer serving as Trump envoy to Shield of Americans - via CBS News
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