WASHINGTON — Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary just days after she took the job. Advisers to President Donald Trump say he fired her, while a White House official described it as her “transitioning out” of the role, CNN reported.
A Trump adviser said she would leave the White House in the next few days. The White House has not named a replacement.
How it unfolded
Trump named Zacharia on Friday, Oct. 9, to succeed Karoline Leavitt, who left in August. Zacharia had been a communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, and was a frequent commentator on cable news.
She held her first briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 13. It was short, and she did not hold another. She traveled with Trump to rallies in Alaska, Arizona and Montana on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Friday morning, Oct. 16, Trump spoke to reporters before leaving for a rally in Georgia. He said he had told Zacharia, “If I were you, I’d reconsider.” He also asked her, “Katie, do you need this?” He added that he felt the media had treated her unfairly and called her a loyal supporter, but he made clear he did not think she was suited to be his top spokesperson.
Questions about her credentials
Zacharia faced scrutiny over how she described her legal background. She graduated from Pepperdine’s law school, but reports said she had not passed the bar exam. She said on Fox News on Friday that she was not asked about passing the bar before she took the press secretary job.
Trump said she was hired as a spokesperson for the White House, not as an attorney.
A very short run
Her tenure lasted about five days, which some coverage compared to the 11 days Anthony Scaramucci served as White House communications director in Trump’s first term.
Zacharia was also brief in her earlier government job. She was a spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security for about six weeks this year before leaving.
What happens next
The White House has not said who will brief reporters in the meantime, or who might take the job permanently. Trump is in the middle of a busy campaign schedule ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms, which we covered in our report on his 32-day midterm tour.
This story will be updated as more details are confirmed.
