The White House has not held a press briefing in nearly one month amid historically low approval ratings for the president
As White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia takes to the podium for her first press briefing — and the first briefing in nearly one month and the first briefing since July with a press secretary — as Americans are outraged about high costs and rampant corruption in Donald Trump’s administration.
Zacharia is the next in a long line of Trump devotees at the White House press podium who tout Trump’s failed agenda and dangerous conspiracy theories without hesitation. Zacharia’s own record raises questions; she has likened safe abortion medication to chemicals used in Nazi Germany, said the Epstein Files “doesn’t matter,” and has deep ties to Communist China, working in Beijing for years at a Chinese law firm.
Here are some questions the American people deserve answers to as Zacharia holds her first press briefing:
When will Trump finally end the deadly and costly war with Iran?
- Trump’s unpopular war of choice with Iran has driven prices through the roof.
- A new estimate found that Trump’s war has cost American households an additional $265 BILLION — an average of nearly $2,000 per household.
- Americans have been forced to spend an additional $107 billion on gas alone since Trump started his war, and a new forecast from the Trump administration shows that gas prices are expected to continue to rise and diesel will remain above $4 per gallon until at least 2028.
- Trump and his “chief dealmaker” JD Vance have failed to reach a deal with Iran and are even expected to escalate the war again after repeatedly moving the timeline for when the war will end.
- Trump has indicated he will continue bombing Iran after the midterm elections.
How is the administration “draining the swamp” when Trump and his administration engage in rampant corruption and pay-to-play politics?
- Trump, his family, and his administration have taken every opportunity to enrich themselves and earn special favors through shady business dealings and pay-to-play politics.
- Last week, new reporting revealed Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-fiancé and U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, begged a major Trump donor for $100,000 to pay her credit card bill ahead of her confirmation hearing.
- The campaign finance reports of Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., revealed how various companies that donated to MAGA Inc. were subsequently awarded massive federal contracts or favorable actions from the administration.
- Trump’s sons have used their close connection to the administration to further their business ventures while the administration has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into numerous companies linked to Trump’s children.
- Trump is set to host “the most exclusive dinner in the world” for the 185 biggest buyers of his $TRUMP meme coin. The top 29 customers will get to attend a “VIP Reception” with the president, and the four biggest patrons will also receive an 18-karat Trump-branded gold watch.
When will working families see refunds for shouldering the burden of Trump’s reckless tariffs?
- Trump’s trade war sent the economy into a tailspin and hiked prices for families, farmers, and small business owners.
- His new trade war with Canada drew bipartisan backlash even from Republican lawmakers.
- Trump’s tariffs are expected to worsen economic conditions in states that are already struggling.
- American consumers and businesses have already shouldered 96% of the costs of Trump’s initial tariffs, which raised prices by almost 3%, and have paid an additional $4,200 on goods and services, under Trump and Vance.
Why is Trump spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on White House vanity projects when working families are struggling to fill up at the pump or buy groceries?
- Trump has spent his presidency focused on building vanity projects, including his helipad, a $600 million ballroom, and his “Arc-de-Trump.”
- Trump plans to spend at least $900 million on White House construction projects, the majority of which will be covered by taxpayers.
- This past weekend, the Trump administration cut down hundreds of trees in Washington, D.C. for a golf course project.
How will the administration lower healthcare costs after making the largest cut to Medicaid in history and scrapping ACA tax credits?
- Trump and Republicans have made healthcare unaffordable for millions of Americans after their Big Ugly Bill slashed $1 trillion from Medicaid and they refused to extend the popular enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.
- ACA premiums have increased by an average of 58%, and three million people so far have been forced to drop their coverage.
- The average ACA marketplace deductibles increased by $1,027 per person this year to a record high of $3,786 in 2026.
- As open enrollment approaches, Americans enrolling in the ACA marketplace could see their insurance premiums increase by 15% or more in 2027.
What is the Trump administration doing to contain the growing measles outbreaks that have ballooned to over 4,000 cases in 2026 alone?
- Last week, the U.S. surpassed 4,000 measles cases in 2026, just over one month after hitting 3,000 cases.
- Trump and RFK Jr. have presided over more measles cases since taking office than the previous 30 years combined, and the U.S. is poised to lose its measles elimination status if it fails to prove it can contain the spread of measles.
How can working families afford gas and groceries if their wages fail to keep up with inflation and they struggle to find good-paying jobs?
- Earlier this month, the September jobs report revealed that Trump’s job market added a meager 29,000 jobs last month — well below economists’ expectations — while employment in July and August combined was revised down by 60,000 and the unemployment rate increased to 4.2%.
- Inflation continued to swallow workers’ wages as wage growth hit a five-year low.
- The number of people who say that it’s hard to get a job right now has hit its highest point since early 2021. U.S. job openings fell by 256,000 in August — including big drops in construction and manufacturing jobs.
