Katie Zacharia‘s brief tenure as Donald Trump’s new press secretary reportedly ended less than a week after she joined the White House. Zacharia was reportedly fired just five days into the role following her first press briefing.
Katie Zacharia’s reported firing came less than a week into her White House tenure
Reports of Katie Zacharia’s departure from the White House emerged hours after Trump told reporters that he had encouraged her to reconsider the job.
“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider. Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this,” Trump said. He added that Zacharia might continue working “in some form, but maybe a more pleasant form.”
According to The New York Times, Zacharia was fired just five days into the role. The report came shortly after Trump said the media had treated his White House press secretary badly.
Her tenure was even shorter than Anthony Scaramucci’s 11-day stint as White House communications director in 2017. As per TMZ, Zacharia’s first White House briefing lasted only 14 minutes.
Trump appointed Zacharia on October 9, and she began her tenure on Monday. Soon after her first appearance at the podium, she faced scrutiny over her legal credentials.
Questions emerged after Zacharia acknowledged that she had never passed the bar exam. Trump had previously referred to her as “an attorney,” adding further attention to the issue.
Zacharia reportedly had support from Natalie Harp, a West Wing aide close to Trump. However, critics questioned her performance during her first briefing.
She later appeared on Fox News, where hosts questioned her about the bar exam controversy. During one interview, she was asked whether she wished she had disclosed the issue to Trump earlier.
“Well, Lawrence, those questions weren’t asked,” Zacharia responded.
Trump publicly defended Zacharia before reports of her firing emerged. He said the media had treated her “very, very badly” and suggested that she could decide whether she wanted to remain in the role.
Hours later, reports indicated that her brief tenure as White House press secretary had come to an end.
