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USA17 October, 20262 min read

Donald Trump Fires Katie Zacharia After Five Days As White House Press Secretary

This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.

Katie Zacharia fired after five days as White House press secretary. Trump told Zacharia to reconsider staying in the role.

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“President Donald Trump fired White House press secretary Katie Zacharia on Friday after five days on the job”
BBC
“Trump hinted at her impending exit early on Friday afternoon, during an impromptu news conference”
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Zacharia exits after five days

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia left her role after just five days, following remarks from President Donald Trump inviting her to reconsider the job.

Trump told reporters, "I said to her, 'Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. You think about it, but I would reconsider,'" as Zacharia’s departure was confirmed later.

Zacharia had been on the job since Monday, and the White House press secretary role began after she took over from Karoline Leavitt.

Trump told reporters moments before the news of her exit was announced that he had told her "you don't have to do this if you don't want," and Zacharia faced heavy criticism for her first press briefing on Tuesday.

Zacharia would be "transitioning out" of the position shortly after Trump’s remarks, and it described her as the shortest-serving press secretary in US history.

Reporting for this sectionABC NewsBBC

Bar exam scrutiny and fallout

Zacharia’s tenure drew scrutiny after questions about her legal credentials, and BBC said she replied "When I was in China" when asked where she passed the bar exam. Zacharia later admitted on Thursday that she did not pass the bar exam, and it said she told reporters she had practised international transaction law in China with the "appropriate credentials". Conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Zacharia, "Why didn’t you just say: ‘I never practised law’?" during an interview on Thursday.

Al Jazeera also said Zacharia’s first and only White House news conference ended after 14 minutes and took only three questions, and it quoted Megyn Kelly saying Zacharia needed "to present as a serious person". Zacharia responded to a question about whether she wished she had disclosed never passing the bar exam by saying, "Those questions weren't asked."

Reporting for this sectionBBCAl Jazeera

Who takes over next

The White House did not announce a permanent replacement after Zacharia’s exit, and BBC said the vacancy left Trump without a top spokesperson as the US headed into crucial midterm elections.

BBC reported that Democrats were seizing on Zacharia’s abrupt departure as a sign of failure in the Republican White House, and it cited Hakeem Jeffries posting on X: "The White House Press Secretary is gone. Maga extremists continue to fall apart,".

Trump told Fox News he was "not in a hurry" to fill the role, and it described the vacancy as leaving Trump without a top spokesperson.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told reporters, "All of this rapid speculation is just speculation, and it’s more like a story lacking even imagination," as Zacharia transitioned to a new role.

Anthony Scaramucci wrote on X, "Records are made to be broken," as Zacharia’s five-day tenure ended after her debut press briefing lasted just 14 minutes.

Reporting for this sectionBBCAl Jazeera