White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has left her position after just five days in the role according to reporting by Aftenposten and The New York Times.
Turbulent First Briefing and Press Scrutiny
Zacharia began her job on Monday and held her first press conference on Tuesday. During the appearance, she looked down at the podium, appeared nervous, and mistakenly referred to President Donald Trump as her husband. When asked which state she received her law license in, she answered when I moved to China
(when I moved to China
).
I work for Trump Media & Technology Group, Truth Social, not any specific News Org. I go where I’m called. 🇺🇸🫡
She concluded her briefing after 14 minutes and only three questions. Following the session, she was ridiculed in both traditional press and social media, with The Guardian
giving her the nickname Zachbot
. Questions were also raised regarding whether she had passed a legal exam, as no public records showed she ever held a license to practice law in the United States. On Thursday, she admitted that she did not pass the exam and is not an attorney.
Trump’s Comments and Record-Short Tenure
Despite earlier defending her performance and stating that communication director Steven Cheung claimed she had a great start
(fantastic start
), President Trump addressed the situation on Friday. He stated that she was treated very badly and very unfairly by the media, noting that he told her she should reconsider the job if it is not right for her.
– I’ve told her she should reconsider her role.
(I told her she should reconsider her role
), Trump said, according to the news agency Reuters. He also noted that he would let her make the final decision.
Zacharia’s departure sets a record for the shortest tenure as a press secretary, surpassing Anthony Scaramucci, who served as press spokesperson for 11 days during Trump’s first presidential term in 2017. Following the announcements, Trump traveled for a campaign event in Georgia before returning home to Palm Beach, Florida.
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