Trump's demands on the secretaries

After Katie Zacharias flop, Donald Trump must once again choose a new press secretary. US expert Dag Blanck points out two requirements the president has for the role – and a tendency that stands out. – They are the face to the outside, he says. A clipping from The Daily News, 2026-10-18 21:47 Original source of the article: https://www.dn.se/varlden/trumps-krav-pa-pressekreterarna-detaljen-sticker-ut/ After Katie Zacharias flop, Donald Trump must once again choose a new press secretary. US expert Dag Blanck points out two requirements the president has for the role – and a tendency that stands out. – They are the face to the outside, he says. You know you can create a free account on DN? As a logged-in user you can access several smart features. A widely criticized press conference and a lawyer title that did not prove to be true. Katie Zacharia's time as press secretary for the White House was not short of saying. It was five days. She thus broke the previous record for the shortest tenure in the president's media team. Communications chief Anthony Scaramucci held his post for eleven days, including the day of arrival. The White House has so far had six press secretaries under Donald Trump. This is also a kind of record, even if it is common with a certain fanfare, especially under presidents who have been in office for more than one term. The next most press secretaries were Harry S. Truman with five. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson are tied for third place with four press secretaries each. There is no doubt that the role is important. Besides the president, the press secretary is often the one who is most visible in the entire administration. – It is a central position. They are the face to the outside, says Dag Blanck, senior professor of North American studies at Uppsala University. – The presidents seek a safe person who can communicate their message well and who can have some kind of working relationship with the media. First term: ● Sean Spicer, January 2017–July 2017 (182 days): Resigned because he opposed the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as communications chief. Scaramucci himself held his position for 11 days before being fired. ● Sarah Huckabee Sanders, July 2017–June 2019 (707 days): Resigned and said she wanted to return to her home state of Arkansas and spend more time with her children. ● Stephanie Grisham, July 2019–April 2020 (281 days): Was dismissed during a reorganization carried out by then-chief of staff Mark Meadows and subsequently became Melania Trump's chief of staff. Grisham did not attend a single press conference while holding the position. ● Kayleigh McEnany, April 2020–January 2021 (288 days): Left when Trump's term ended and Joe Biden took office as president. Second term: ● Karoline Leavitt, January 2025–August 2026 (585 days): Resigned and said she wanted to spend more time with her family. ● Katie Zacharia, October 2026 (5 days): Was fired after a criticized first press conference and after it emerged that she had pretended to be a lawyer despite not having passed the bar examination for the American Bar Association. Donald Trump himself has a special relationship with the media. On the one hand, he communicates directly to them via his social media. He also frequently calls Sean Hannity's show on Fox News to share his reflections and opinions. On the other hand, he is in open conflict with several media outlets, whom he accuses of fake news and attempts to port from the White House. Being able to maneuver as a press secretary is not an easy task. Furthermore, one must meet Trump's requirements for the role. The most important thing, according to Dag Blanck, is loyalty. This applies to everyone who will work closely with the president. – We saw this in Katie Zacharia's press conference too. I don't know how many times she mentioned his name and how fantastic he is. She showed total loyalty to Trump. If loyalty is one requirement, competence is the second requirement. And that is where it fell short. After the shaky press conference, Trump said he had spoken to Zacharia and given her the advice to "think again". Most have interpreted this as her dismissal. According to two sources on Axios, Katie Zacharia was not Trump's first choice either. He wanted the former Fox News journalist Maria Bartiromo, who signaled that she was not interested. Even the conservative commentator Scott Jennings was up for discussion. – Katie Zacharia was not ready for this job, but it is at the same time a huge job. Just think, standing in the press room in front of the entire press corps, which is extremely skilled and where everyone has to try to put in breaking news, investigations, and so on, says Dag Blanck. Who gets the job next remains to be seen. However, looking at the list of Trump's former press secretaries, there seems to be a pattern. Five out of six are women. The last three also look somewhat similar, with long blonde hair. Generally, Trump has a tendency to choose staff members that he thinks look like they fit the specific role, according to the US expert. "Right out of central casting" is a common phrase. The expression is borrowed from the film industry and refers to someone who looks like a certain type of role figure. But in the end, loyalty and competence probably weigh more. – He learns to choose someone who has more routine, who can handle the media in a way that Katie Zacharia could not.