White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is transitioning out of the role after just five days, following criticism of her professional credentials.
Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he had advised Zacharia to reconsider remaining in the post, saying he did not believe she should be subjected to the media scrutiny she had faced.
“I don’t think Katie should be made to suffer like she’s suffering at the hands of the press,” Mr Trump said as he left the White House. “I said to her, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it.’”
Zacharia said she had received a call about the position the previous week. She replaced Karoline Leavitt after Mr Trump announced her appointment and described her as an attorney.
Questions were subsequently raised over whether Zacharia, a graduate of Pepperdine University law school in California, had passed the bar examination required to practise as an attorney. In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, she said she had not passed the exam.
Her five-day tenure was half as long as that of Anthony Scaramucci, who served as director of communications for 10 days during Mr Trump’s first administration.
