Trump Fires Katie Zacharia Just Five Days Into Her Tenure as White House Press Secretary

Washington DC: US President Donald Trump has removed Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary after only five days in the job, ending what is likely the shortest tenure in the post’s history, according to officials and advisers cited by CNN and CBS News.

Zacharia took over on October 9, after Karoline Leavitt resigned in August. Her first briefing on Tuesday lasted about 14 minutes and drew sharply negative reviews. Advisers told CNN she appeared underprepared and lacked basic skills for the role, with one reacting with disbelief at the performance. A CBS aide said she spent the week unusually isolated and did not function as a press secretary. The White House’s press account had also not been handed over to her.

Trump had told her on a flight to Alaska that she had done well, a source told CNN, but three days of scrutiny followed, including attention to a controversy about her resume after it was revealed that Zacharia, who was referred as an attorney and lawyer by Trump, had never passed the bar exam. As he left the White House on Friday, he suggested she should reconsider the job, and she was dismissed shortly afterward. According to reports, Trump told reporters that he had asked whether the job was right for her. Some staff learned of the change from news reports, and The New York Times was first to report the firing. Fox News was told she was “transitioning out.”

CNN reported that Trump, after struggling for weeks to find a new spokesperson, had suddenly become fixated on filling the role, and that Zacharia had not been under consideration a week earlier. CBS reported she is expected to take another role in the administration, and that Trump has not named a successor.