Should We have a Press Secretary in the Era of Trump? S5E128 10.28.2026

Do you have a question or comment? Want to suggest a topic for our panel or be a guest on the Nova Society? Send us a message! Teshie from Washington, DC writes: Well, here we go again. After the Gilfoyle fiasco, we now have another entry in the ever‑growing chapter of “let’s hire the incompetent.” Anthony Scaramucci is no longer the shortest‑serving press secretary in American history; Katie Zachariah, the former Newsmax personality and maybe‑lawyer, has claimed the title. Her performance was so disastrous that even Donald Trump, the self‑proclaimed master of personnel decisions, had to concede she wasn’t up to the job. She’s out. Instead of rehashing all of that, I have a more forward‑looking question. Historically, the press secretary was a crucial position, the public voice of an administration’s policies and priorities. But even under the last officeholder, briefings were sporadic, maybe once a week, a far cry from the daily or near-daily briefings of previous administrations. In an environment saturated with misinformation and disinformation, is the role still meaningful? And honestly, how does anyone keep a straight face while defending so many contradictions? Trump loves to promote himself; arguably, no one is a better propagandist for the Trump brand than Trump. So, should he even bother filling the press secretary role? At this point, is a Trump press secretary more of a distraction than a benefit to Americans who are simply trying to understand what their government is doing? Are we better off not having a Press Secretary in the era of Trump? Support the show The Nova Society Podcast In season 5, we will transition to 3 episodes per week and expand episode lengths for more in-depth conversations. Stay tuned for more information about our proposed weekly second channel, The Nova Society-Side Projects , where we have conversations with guests about topics important to them and to you, our listeners. Our Buzzsprout Home Landing Page Direct SMS message to the podcast from the “message us” link on our page. Support the Nova Society Email us your Questions Subscribe to the Nova Society Subscribe to our RSS Feed Join Our Facebook Page & YouTube Channe l Past episodes & read our blog Here . JCIS Apple Podcasts/ I-Tunes Spotify ...