A White House statement praising Katie Zacharia’s only press briefing remained online Friday even as the administration confirmed she was leaving the job after five days. The rapid reversal coincided with new reporting that President Donald Trump had approached his incoming press secretary without consulting his chief of staff.
On October 13, the White House described Zacharia’s debut as a “commanding inaugural press briefing.” Its release promoted her remarks on media access, Trump’s agenda, and the administration’s campaign travel.
The actual appearance lasted about 14 minutes. Zacharia took questions from reporters at Breitbart, Fox News, and the Daily Mail, according to the Associated Press. Trump publicly commended her afterward, saying, “I thought she did excellent. She did very good.”
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Behind the public endorsement, officials were less positive. CNN reported that day that one White House official called the briefing “brutal,” while other officials criticized her delivery. Their comments were reported anonymously and do not establish why she subsequently left.
The Washington Post reported Friday that Trump had reached out to Zacharia about the job without first consulting Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Four people familiar with the decision told the newspaper the move was regarded inside the White House as undermining Wiles.
White House spokesperson Danielle Alvarez rejected anonymous claims of internal dysfunction and said the administration remained united.
Trump offered Zacharia the position on October 9, succeeding Karoline Leavitt. She started October 12.
Her credentials then came under scrutiny because Trump had described her as an attorney. On October 15, Zacharia acknowledged during a Fox News interview that she had failed the bar examination and never taken it again. She graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011 but is not licensed to practice law in the United States.
On October 16, Reuters quoted a White House official saying Zacharia had been “let go.” Fox News cited a senior official saying she was “transitioning out.” Trump told reporters that he had urged her to reconsider the job because of the scrutiny and denied firing her when asked directly.
The White House has not publicly identified a single reason for the departure. Its October 13 endorsement of Zacharia’s performance remained posted after her exit.
The makes Zacharia the shortest-serving White House press secretary in US history and the sixth press secretary under Trump across his two presidencies. Her five-day tenure was shorter than the previous historical minimum, including Stephen Early’s 14-day acting stint in December 1950.
