Trump’s first press secretary warns him to stop focusing on looks for his next pick

Sean Spicer, Donald Trump’s first press secretary and the only one who was a man, has warned the president to stop focusing on looks when he picks the next person to stand behind the podium.

Trump has gone through six press secretaries throughout in first and second terms so far. Karoline Leavitt was tapped to be the administration’s voice at the start of Trump’s second term, but left her post at the end of August to spend time with family. Trump then tapped Katie Zacharia, another blonde woman, to replace Leavitt — she only lasted five days.

“What does this whole fiasco say about White House vetting and whether Donald Trump chooses people who look pretty and just agree with him instead of people who are competent at the job?” Andrew Bolt from the Australian outlet News24 asked Spicer.

Spicer defended Zacharia’s intelligence, but noted that it would serve Trump well to understand what it takes to be a successful White House press secretary.

He said Zacharia “does a great job of fighting for the America First agenda,” but he added that it’s only “about 20 percent” of the job.

“I caution the White House and the president, in particular, for just focusing on that part of the duties,” Spicer said. He then listed other duties that he says are “critical” to the job, such as handling the “logistical nature of dealing with the media.”

Zacharia gave such a disastrous press briefing last Tuesday that social media users started comparing her to Trump’s one-time communications director Anthony Scaramucci for his record-short 11 days on the job.

Even Scaramucci joined in the mockery, writing on X, “The clock is running. Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci.”

Zacharia, who previously served as senior communications advisor for Trump’s Truth Social platform, stumbled through her first press briefing. She was visibly nervous and at one point, accidentally called her husband “my president” — a sharp contrast to Leavitt, who was well-spoken and often sparred with journalists while defending Trump’s agenda.

News broke on Friday that Zacharia was canned. Trump said that he told her to reconsider the job after media outlets were “so nasty to her.”

“I said to her honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider,” Trump told reporters. “She's got a beautiful husband and family ... maybe it's not for her.”

Spicer, who resigned as Trump’s press secretary after six months on the job, spoke about the gravity of the role.

“You’re talking about being the point person for the government of the United States through all the agencies and the departments, coordinating with outside stakeholders in Congress, and I don’t think some people fully appreciate that aspect of the job,” Spicer told Bolt.

“And secondly, Andrew, it’s incumbent upon the candidates who want to put themselves out there for this job to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses.”