White House · Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Katie Zacharia gives her first briefing as press secretary
The File desk · Oct 14, 2026, 10:55 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed as the White House’s account of the Oct. 13 briefing. The prescription-drug sentence is what the page says she said. This desk did not check it against a price index.
- Confirmed
The White House said Katie Zacharia gave her first briefing as the 37th White House press secretary on Oct. 13. She called Karoline Leavitt her predecessor.
- Partially confirmed
She said the president delivered the biggest drop in prescription drug prices in 63 years. That is her statement on the White House page. It is not a new price-index print.
The White House said Katie Zacharia gave her first briefing on Tuesday as the 37th press secretary. She thanked the president for the job and called Karoline Leavitt her predecessor. She said the briefing room’s New Media Seat will stay and that the White House wants to expand it. She said more midterm travel is coming, and she named Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida. The page does not say when she was appointed, only that this was the first briefing.
The White House post is dated Oct. 13, 2026. Zacharia’s opening line, as the page quotes it: “I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people as the new White House Press Secretary. I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me.”
On the New Media Seat, the page quotes her: “My predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, did an incredible job and I completely agree with the choice of a New Media Seat — we are absolutely going to keep it and we are going to expand on it to the extent possible.”
On travel, the page quotes her: “You can expect more of the midterm blitz. Just now, we’ve added Kentucky and we have a few other stops as he goes down to Florida — so it’ll be Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida.”
She also said, in the page’s quote, that the president is the first in modern history to lower prescription drug prices, “delivering the biggest drop in 63 years.” That is her statement as posted. This desk did not open a price series to test it. September consumer prices are still scheduled for this morning, after this edition locks.
The presidential-actions page, checked the same morning, shows no new executive order, memorandum, or proclamation dated Oct. 13 or Oct. 14. The newest items on that page are dated Oct. 7.
What is still unknown or disputed
- The date she was named press secretary. The page calls this the inaugural briefing and does not give an appointment date.
- Whether the prescription-drug sentence matches a published price index. It was not re-checked here.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Katie Zacharia Delivers Powerful Inaugural Briefing as the 37th White House Press Secretary
The White House · October 13, 2026
Today, Katie Zacharia delivered her inaugural press briefing as the 37th White House press secretary. She called Karoline Leavitt her predecessor and said the New Media Seat will stay.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/10/katie-zacharia-delivers-powerful-inaugural-briefing-as-37th-white-house-press-secretary/
Source 2
Presidential actions
The White House · October 14, 2026
The actions list opened this morning shows no item dated Oct. 13 or Oct. 14. The newest items are dated Oct. 7.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/