Katie Zacharia fired: White House press secretary Katie Zacharia was dismissed on Friday, October 16, after less than a week on the job, two U.S. officials told Reuters, ending one of the shortest tenures of any presidential spokesperson in modern memory. Zacharia was “let go” and is “transitioning out” of the press secretary position, according to two separate White House officials.

President Donald Trump publicly suggested earlier on Friday that she should consider stepping down, but said he had not fired her outright and that the decision would be hers. Hours later, word of her departure emerged, and Trump told reporters he intended to revisit the conversation after returning from a campaign trip to Georgia, which Zacharia did not join him for.

Katie Zacharia fired after just five days

Zacharia started work on Monday, October 12, and her entire tenure in one of the most visible jobs in American government lasted five days. Trump announced her appointment on October 9 to succeed Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August to spend more time with her two young children, according to the New York Post.

Speaking to reporters on Friday before departing for Georgia, Trump said he had told Zacharia to think about whether she wanted to continue. “I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff,” Trump said he told her, according to Reuters. He added: “Honestly, if I were you, I would reconsider.”

Trump also said he was in no rush to name a new press secretary, telling Fox News in a phone interview Friday that “a lot of people want the job.”

Why Katie Zacharia was fired

The firing followed a week of damaging headlines. Zacharia’s debut White House briefing on Tuesday, October 13, lasted only about 14 minutes and drew harsh reviews. She took just three questions — from Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail — and at one point stumbled over a line, prompting ripples of laughter in the briefing room, Channel NewsAsia reported.

According to CNN’s account of her downfall, Trump’s advisers watched the debut with “a degree of horror.” Zacharia was up at 3 a.m. Tuesday to prepare, and her materials were not finalized until 90 minutes before she walked into the room. During questioning, she could not say whether the United States had cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine — an inquiry that could easily have been anticipated.

Her one piece of real news was the announcement that Trump had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her post as ambassador to Greece. Zacharia later cited that as evidence the briefing had gone well, telling reporters she was honored Trump trusted her with the announcement, according to CNN.

But it was the controversy over her legal credentials that ultimately sank her. Trump had described Zacharia as an attorney when announcing her appointment, and she had presented herself as a lawyer on television and social media. When reporters pressed her on which bar exam she had passed, she gave what CNN described as a perplexing response.

The bar exam controversy

In an emailed statement on Wednesday, Zacharia said: “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” according to Reuters. But Reuters reported it could find no records showing the Pepperdine University law school graduate was registered as an attorney or a member of the bar in any U.S. state or the District of Columbia.

On Thursday, Zacharia acknowledged on Fox News that she had failed the California bar exam and never retook it. In an interview with Sean Hannity, she admitted “very little prep time” before her debut briefing, and Hannity pressed her on her legal claims in what Trump later called “a little bit tough” questioning.

Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was “distracted and overwhelmed” by plans to move to China with her husband, telling Real America’s Voice that she had instead practiced law while living in Beijing. She maintained she had consulted legal professionals who assured her she could describe herself as a lawyer, just not an attorney, given her law degree.

The scrutiny intensified when the political ethics group Campaign for Accountability called for the California Bar Association to open an investigation. “In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” the organization said in a press release, according to Agence France-Presse.

The White House’s tense relationship with the press corps provided little shelter. The administration has been locked in a high-stakes legal fight over media access and credential revocations — read our earlier report on the CNN Air Force One press credentials battle for background.

How the White House hired Zacharia in a weekend

According to CNN’s reporting, only a week before her appointment, Zacharia was not being considered for the role. Trump, frustrated by coverage of his administration’s midterm prospects, had complained to advisers that he had no one pushing his message. Zacharia — a cable news regular, former Department of Homeland Security spokesperson and senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group — caught his eye from afar.

After a phone call on Wednesday, Zacharia flew to Washington on Thursday. By Friday she was in the Oval Office, where Trump spontaneously offered her the job during their first in-person meeting, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by CNN.

Trump announced the appointment that Sunday, praising Zacharia as “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning” and “a devoted fan and member of MAGA,” according to Business Insider. He described her as an attorney and a distinguished Pepperdine law graduate. Zacharia called the appointment the “honor of a lifetime,” News18 reported.

The speed of the hire showed. The New York Post reported that Trump personally prepared Zacharia for her first — and last — briefing after she flew into Washington, but her nerves were on display throughout.

A new “Zacharia” replaces the “Scaramucci”

Zacharia’s five-day tenure is believed to be the shortest of any White House press secretary in the role’s history, according to Reuters. It was less than half the 11-day stint of Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief run as White House communications director in 2017 made his name political shorthand for a short-lived appointment.

Scaramucci himself weighed in on X on Friday, joking that as “the world’s leading expert on short White House tenures,” he could tell Zacharia that “the Universe did you a major favor,” according to Times Now.

Trump, however, defended Zacharia against what he called unfair media treatment. He told reporters Friday that she had been treated “pretty nastily” by the press, and said that “maybe it’s not for her.”

What comes next for Zacharia and the White House

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said Zacharia “will continue to support the President as she transitions to a new role,” describing her as “an amazing teammate and tremendous talent.” A senior administration official told the New York Post she was expected to move into a new position to be announced later — but that detail is unconfirmed, and NBC similarly reported a new role was expected without details.

Zacharia herself said on X that it “was an honor” to work for Trump. A source close to the president told CNN that she and her family were having dinner Friday evening with Vice President JD Vance at his residence — a sign, the source suggested, that she remains well regarded in the White House.

The departure leaves Trump without a key public messenger with the midterm elections less than three weeks away, on November 3. The president is in the middle of an aggressive campaign push, including a 32-day campaign tour he announced in September, making himself the central figure in Republicans’ fight to retain control of Congress. Read our coverage of Trump’s 32-day campaign tour before the midterms for more on what’s at stake.

FAQ: Katie Zacharia fired

How long was Katie Zacharia White House press secretary?

Five days. Zacharia started on Monday, October 12, and was fired on Friday, October 16, 2026 — believed to be the shortest press secretary tenure in the role’s history, according to Reuters.

Why was Katie Zacharia fired?

Her 14-minute debut briefing drew harsh reviews, and she faced days of questions about her legal credentials after acknowledging she had failed the California bar exam and was not licensed to practice law.

Did Trump say he fired Zacharia?

Trump said he had not fired her outright and that the decision would be hers, telling reporters “Honestly, if I were you, I would reconsider.” Two White House officials later told Reuters she was “let go.”

What is Katie Zacharia’s next role?

That remains unconfirmed. A senior administration official told the New York Post she would transition to a new role to be announced later. No new position had been announced as of Friday.

For the full account of the reporting behind this story, read Reuters’ report on Zacharia’s firing.