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Trump Fires White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia After Five Days

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Katie Zacharia was named White House press secretary to replace Karoline Leavitt. Her first briefing lasted about 14 minutes and drew heavy criticism.

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Trump Fires White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia After Five Days
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Zacharia Dismissed in Days

President Donald Trump dismissed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia on Friday, Oct. 16, after she took office just five days earlier.

Trump told reporters, “I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’” and he added, “Honestly if I were you I’d reconsider.”

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Image: 20Minutos

White House officials told Reuters that Zacharia was “let go” and “transitioning out” of the press secretary position, leaving Trump without a key public messenger just over two weeks before November’s midterm elections.

Zacharia’s brief tenure followed her debut briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 13, which Reuters said lasted less than 15 minutes and drew criticism for taking only three questions after she read a lengthy account of Trump’s accomplishments.

The BBC reported that Zacharia offered just one press conference that ended abruptly after 14 minutes, after she replaced Karoline Leavitt.

Reporting for this sectionKyiv Postyalibnan

Bar Exam Fallout

Zacharia’s departure followed days of questions about her legal credentials, after Reuters could not find records showing the Pepperdine University law school graduate was registered as an attorney or member of the bar in any US state or the District of Columbia. Zacharia told reporters she did not pass the bar exam, and she replied to a Fox News question about retaking it, “I did not.” The BBC said a reporter asked Tuesday in which state she had passed the bar exam to practice law in the United States, and Zacharia answered, “When I moved to China.”

Trump introduced Zacharia as an attorney when announcing her appointment, and the controversy shifted from her briefing-room performance to whether she had the credentials to practice law in the US. Reuters reported that Zacharia said she received a call about the press secretary role on October 7 and was offered the job to succeed Karoline Leavitt a week ago.

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Image: ABC
Reporting for this sectionKyiv PostBBC

Diplomatic and Midterm Stakes

Zacharia’s first week also included remarks about China that drew a response from Beijing, after she said, “They don’t even have proper toilets,” during an interview with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded Friday by suggesting Zacharia should “visit China more often,” as the exchange added a diplomatic controversy to the already unsettled start of her tenure. Trump said he asked Zacharia to reconsider and told reporters, “I don’t think Katie should be made to suffer like she’s suffering at the hands of the press.”

Reuters said the departure left Trump without a key public messenger just over two weeks before November’s midterm elections, a period when the president sought to tout his administration’s accomplishments and help fellow Republicans retain control of Congress. Bloomberg reported that Zacharia’s departure plunged the White House Communications Department back into chaos, and it said Trump is once again left without a White House press secretary.

Reporting for this sectionKyiv PostAl Jazeera