Katie Zacharia has reportedly been fired as White House press secretary after only five days in the role, bringing an extraordinary end to a tenure that began with a widely criticised debut briefing.
Two US officials told CBS News that President Donald Trump’s newest spokesperson was being removed, while The New York Times reported that she had been dismissed.
The White House used softer language, saying Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the position. A replacement has not yet been announced.
Her departure gives her a shorter White House tenure than Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted 11 days as communications director during Trump’s first administration in 2017.
Trump told her to ‘reconsider’
Trump appeared to foreshadow Zacharia’s departure when he spoke to reporters outside the White House on Friday.
“I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it, but I would reconsider,’” the president said.
Trump said he had watched Zacharia being interviewed on Fox News and believed the presenters had been “a little tough” on her.
“Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this,” Trump recalled telling her, before adding: “Maybe it’s not for her.”
Zacharia had been personally selected by Trump to replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the administration in August to spend more time with her family.
When announcing the appointment, Trump praised Zacharia as a loyal and “brilliant” supporter of his MAGA movement.
Rocky briefing placed her under scrutiny
Zacharia faced immediate criticism following her first White House press briefing on Tuesday.
The appearance lasted approximately 14 minutes, during which she read extensively from prepared notes and accepted questions from only three reporters representing Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail.
She was unable to answer a question about whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine and promised to provide the information later.
The press secretary also attracted attention after mistakenly saying “my president” when she apparently meant to refer to “my husband.”
Her visibly nervous performance generated criticism online and prompted comparisons with previous Trump administration officials who had short White House careers.
Questions raised over legal credentials
Zacharia subsequently faced questions about her professional background after Trump introduced her as an attorney.
She graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school but acknowledged that she had not passed the California bar examination and is not licensed to practise law in the state.
Zacharia defended describing herself as a lawyer, citing her law degree and international transactional work completed while living in China.
The controversy continued throughout her brief time in the position, with interviews on conservative television failing to quiet questions about her experience and preparedness.
Zacharia became the sixth person to serve as White House press secretary across Trump’s two administrations.
Her exit sets a new record for the shortest tenure by a White House press secretary and comes only days after one unnamed official reportedly warned that she needed to improve quickly or risk lasting less time than Scaramucci.
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