Key takeaways:
- The White House confirmed Friday that Katie Zacharia would leave the press secretary role five days after taking it.
- Zacharia’s tenure included a 14-minute briefing and questions about how she had described her legal credentials, the BBC reported.
- Trump told Fox News he was in “no rush” to select another press secretary.
Katie Zacharia is leaving her job as White House press secretary just five days after taking it, leaving President Donald Trump without a spokesperson weeks before midterm congressional elections that polls suggest could be difficult for Republicans.
The White House confirmed to the BBC on Friday that Zacharia would be “transitioning” out of the role. Earlier, Trump told reporters at the White House about a conversation he had with her that day. “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” Trump said he had told Zacharia. “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.” He added that the job might not be “for her”.
Zacharia’s brief tenure included a 14-minute press conference on Tuesday, followed by several media appearances and questions about whether she had mischaracterised her legal credentials during her career, the BBC reported. An interview with conservative commentator Sean Hannity on Thursday did not appear to ease the pressure. Trump said he had watched it.
Her exit marks the shortest tenure for a White House press secretary in modern times, according to the BBC. Zacharia had joined the administration after Karoline Leavitt resigned in August, a few months after welcoming her second child. The Guardian reported that Leavitt stepped down to focus on her family.
The departure comes as Republican candidates try to retain their seats in the approaching elections. The BBC reported that some are distancing themselves from Trump and his policies. The White House is also dealing with controversies, including corruption allegations that led to the resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and a reversal of plans to publicly air a military execution in December after bipartisan backlash, according to the BBC.
Trump has often delivered announcements and policy changes himself, speaking from the Oval Office, the White House lawn and airfield tarmacs. Before her appointment, Zacharia wrote on X: “President Trump does not need a spokesperson. He is his own best press secretary.”
The Guardian reported that competition within Trump’s circle to fill the prominent job has begun again. Trump, however, told Fox News on Friday that he was in “no rush” to choose a replacement.
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