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President Donald Trump told reporters on October 16 that he had advised Katie Zacharia to reconsider her position as White House press secretary after only days on the job with the White House later confirming she would transition to a new role. Trump recounted telling her the high profile post might not suit her and that she had been treated badly by the media during an appearance on the South Lawn before departing for a rally in Georgia. The Boston Globe reported that three people familiar with internal discussions said Zacharia was ousted after her debut drew widespread criticism and she had not even relocated to Washington yet.
Zacharia held her first and only formal briefing on October 13 which lasted under 15 minutes and included questions from just three reporters according to multiple accounts of the event. In the days that followed she faced pointed inquiries about her professional background including whether she had overstated her qualifications as an attorney. She acknowledged during interviews that she had not passed the bar exam or secured a U.S. law license explaining that she had pre registered but anticipated living in China at the time a detail reported by Slay News and other outlets.
A Britannica profile of Zacharia notes that she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pepperdine University in 2007 and a law degree from its Caruso School of Law in 2011 after interning at the Republican National Committee and in the George W. Bush White House. She previously served as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security earlier in 2026 and worked as senior communications adviser for Trump Media and Technology Group while appearing regularly as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax. Trump announced her selection on October 9 to succeed Karoline Leavitt who departed the post in late August following the birth of her second child according to Fox News reporting from the time of the appointment.
The departure sets a record for the shortest tenure of any White House press secretary surpassing the 11 days served by Anthony Scaramucci in 2017 during Trump’s first term as noted in coverage by The Sydney Morning Herald. Democrats have seized on the abrupt exit as a sign of failure in the Republican White House with midterm elections approaching in November that will determine control of Congress according to the BBC. A senior U.S. administration official told dpa international that Zacharia had stepped down without specifying a successor or further reasons for the move.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement that Zacharia would be transitioning into a new role to be announced later while Trump indicated she could continue working for him in some capacity that would prove more suitable. Trump added that he wanted Zacharia to have a good life and avoid further difficult treatment emphasizing she is a nice person with a family. Zacharia wrote on X that it was an honor to work for the president according to dpa international which carried her statement.
