Trump’s New Press Secretary Leaves After Five Days Following Criticism
United States President Donald Trump’s newly appointed White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, has left the position after five days, following criticism of her first press briefing and questions about her professional credentials.
Reuters reported on Friday, October 16, citing two US officials, that Zacharia had been dismissed from the role and was transitioning out of the position.
Her departure came hours after Trump told reporters that he had advised her to reconsider whether she wanted to continue in the job, citing the criticism she had received from the media.
“They’ve been so nasty to her,” Trump said, referring to journalists.
He added that he had told Zacharia: “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it. But I would reconsider.”
According to Reuters, Trump said he intended to revisit the conversation with her. He also indicated that he was not in a hurry to appoint a replacement.
Zacharia began serving as White House press secretary on Monday, October 12, after Trump selected her to replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August.
Her first press briefing, held on Tuesday, October 13, attracted criticism over its format and her performance. According to CBS News, she delivered prepared remarks for approximately 10 minutes before taking questions from reporters representing three media outlets.
Questions about her legal background also emerged during her brief tenure.
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law but acknowledged during a Fox News interview on Thursday that she had not passed the California bar examination.
Reuters reported that it could not find records showing that she was registered as an attorney or admitted to the bar in any US state or the District of Columbia.
Before her appointment, Zacharia had described her professional experience as including international transactional law. Trump also referred to her as an attorney when announcing her selection.
Zacharia disputed suggestions that she had misrepresented her qualifications. In comments reported by CBS News, she maintained that she had been careful not to present herself as an attorney at law.
Her departure leaves the White House without a press secretary at a critical time for the Trump administration, with the November midterm elections approaching.
The press secretary serves as a principal spokesperson for the president and is responsible for communicating the administration’s positions to journalists and the public.
As of Friday, the White House had not announced a replacement. Trump said he was not rushing the process.
Zacharia’s five-day tenure is believed to be the shortest of any White House press secretary, according to reports.
