Trump ousts White House press secretary after five days
Katie Zacharia leaves the role after a week marked by criticism over her legal credentials and a difficult first briefing.
KEY POINTS
- Katie Zacharia served as White House press secretary for five days
- She was appointed on October 9 and started on October 12
- She admitted she never passed the bar exam or held a law license
- Her first briefing lasted 14 minutes and included three questions
- Trump said he advised her to reconsider the role but denied firing her
President Donald Trump has removed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after just five days in the job. Trump told reporters on Friday that he advised her to reconsider staying in the role.
Zacharia was appointed on October 9 and began her duties on Monday, October 12. She held her first and likely only press briefing the following day.
“I said to her, honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. Think about it, but I would reconsider.”
Critics questioned her legal credentials after she admitted she had never passed the bar exam and had never been licensed to practice law in the United States. She also said she had registered for the bar exam but knew she would be living in China, making the result irrelevant.
Her brief 14-minute briefing, during which she took only three questions, drew criticism and left her appearing nervous and uncertain. A senior White House official said she did not impress the president.
Trump said the media had been very harsh with her and added that she had been treated terribly by the press. He said he wanted her to have a good life and denied that she had been fired.
A senior White House official told Axios that Trump remains a great admirer of Zacharia and that his public comments reflected what he told her privately.
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