Donald Trump has fired Katie Zacharia after just five days as White House press secretary, ending a turbulent start to her tenure as the administration’s top spokesperson.
Advisers to the president said she was leaving the role after Trump told reporters he had urged her to reconsider it. Speaking before leaving the White House for a political rally in Georgia, he said: “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.”
Trump said he had told Zacharia they would speak when he returned and that he would leave the decision to her. But he also questioned whether the job was right for her, saying: “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.”
A White House official said Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the press secretary role, while a Trump adviser said she would leave the White House within the next few days.
Trump praised Zacharia as a loyal supporter and said she had been mistreated by the media, while acknowledging that she might not be suited to represent him from the briefing room.
“Maybe it’s not for her,” he said.
Zacharia’s brief tenure came under scrutiny after her first press briefing on Tuesday, when she appeared nervous and answered only three questions. She later gave a confusing response about where she had passed her bar exam after Trump had described her as an attorney.
In a series of tense interviews on Fox News, Zacharia acknowledged that she had never passed the bar exam. The uncertainty over whether she would return to the briefing room prompted questions within the White House about her future.
Trump had initially considered her first briefing less seriously than some of his advisers, according to two people familiar with the discussions. But interviews that followed, including an appearance with Sean Hannity on Thursday night, and conversations with allies reportedly convinced him that she could not remain in the position.
One person with direct knowledge of Trump’s comments said the president had told allies that Zacharia was perhaps “not ready for prime time”.
A source close to Trump said he continued to respect and like Zacharia personally, and that his account of their conversation was accurate. The source and another person also said Zacharia and her family were due to have dinner with Vice President JD Vance and his family at the vice president’s residence.
Her five-day tenure was shorter than that of Anthony Scaramucci, who served for 11 days as White House communications director in 2017.
