WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary five days after taking up the post, following a poorly received first briefing and a week of questions over her credentials.
The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported on Friday that President Donald Trump had dismissed her. A senior White House official told Fox News that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the role.
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn on Friday, Trump said he had advised Zacharia to reconsider the job. “Maybe it’s not for her,” he said, though he denied that he had fired her.
President Trump on Katie Zacharia's future as White House press secretary:
“Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider.”
Trump said Zacharia had been treated unfairly by the media, shortly before reports emerged that she had been removed from the role after just five days. pic.twitter.com/NTlODBxftS
— The Thursday Times (@thursday_times) October 16, 2026
The White House has not said who will replace her, and Zacharia has not commented publicly on her departure.
Trump announced Zacharia’s appointment on 9 October as successor to Karoline Leavitt, who left the role at the end of August. Her only briefing, on 13 October, lasted 14 minutes, and she took questions from just three outlets.
In a Fox News interview on Thursday night, Zacharia acknowledged that she had never passed the bar examination or obtained a law licence in the United States.
Before joining the White House, Zacharia was a senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social. Earlier this year, she spent about six weeks as a spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security.
If her departure is confirmed, Zacharia would be the shortest-serving White House press secretary in US history.∎
