Katie Zacharia has been fired as White House press secretary after just five days in the role, following a difficult first briefing and an abrupt meeting involving vice president JD Vance.
Zacharia was being interviewed by the Wall Street Journal in her new West Wing office on Friday when senior presidential adviser Jason Miller interrupted, tapping her on the shoulder and saying: “JD wanted to chat with us real quick.”
She left the interview and did not return. Later that day, President Donald Trump answered questions from reporters at the helipad before leaving for Joint Base Andrews.
Asked about Zacharia’s performance, Mr Trump said she had been “treated very badly by the media”. He also disclosed that he had suggested she reconsider the post.
“I said, ‘Is this for you Katie? Because honestly, you don’t need this,’” Mr Trump told reporters.
When asked whether he still had confidence in her, the President replied: “I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m gonna let her make that decision.”
He added that he had told her: “You should reconsider because you don’t wanna go through this,” while accusing the media of being “nasty” towards her since her debut in the briefing room.
Zacharia’s first appearance as press secretary on Tuesday lasted about 14 minutes. She stumbled through scripted remarks and took only three questions, prompting widespread mockery online and criticism from Fox News hosts.
She had reportedly been given only 24 hours to prepare for the briefing. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, she said: “The truth is that I have a hard time saying ‘no’ because I want to be a team player,” while making clear that she was not accusing the White House of rushing her.
Sources said White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had been tasked with arranging Zacharia’s removal after concerns that she was not suited to the job. A former Trump official described her as an “overwhelmed substitute teacher”, while members of the communications team said she arrived late to a meeting on Friday and stood at the back of the room.
Before the news broke, Zacharia told the Wall Street Journal there were “no staffing changes that are happening”. She said she was keeping the communications team “cohesive” and spoke of her close relationship with Mr Trump.
She also acknowledged that she was exhausted, saying she was running on “no sleep and high adrenaline and probably too much caffeine and no food”.
White House communications director Steven Cheung later confirmed that Zacharia would be “transitioning into a new role that will be announced at a later date”.
In a statement issued on Friday night, Zacharia praised the President, describing him as “a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man”. She added: “It was an honor to work for him.”
Her brief tenure was also overshadowed by questions about her description of herself as a lawyer. It emerged that she had not passed the bar exam, and when asked during Tuesday’s briefing where she had passed it, she replied: “When I moved to China.”
She later said she had not heard the question and attempted to clarify the matter during two appearances on Fox News.
The White House rejected reports of her removal as “breathless speculation”, saying: “The fact is that Katie took on a very important job, and she will continue to support the President as she transitions to a new role. She is an amazing teammate and tremendous talent.”
