Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after five days, with accounts of her departure split between fired and transitioning out

Katie Zacharia is leaving the White House press secretary role after approximately five days on the job. The New York Times reported she was fired, and a White House official not authorized to speak publicly told the Guardian the same. Fox News reported she was ‘transitioning out’ of the role.

Zacharia’s first press briefing, held Tuesday, was widely criticized, and she faced scrutiny over her legal credentials in the days that followed. MS NOW reported Zacharia is leaving, citing two White House officials familiar with the matter. On Thursday, Zacharia appeared on Sean Hannity’s show and gave an interview to the Guardian, as questions about her performance and background intensified. The conflicting accounts of her departure emerged Friday, capping a tumultuous week that began with her first official day on Monday and ended with the president publicly questioning whether she should remain in the job.

A halting debut at the podium

Zacharia’s first and only press briefing took place Tuesday morning. She delivered a halting opening statement read from notes and called on only three reporters before ending the session. The performance drew swift and broad criticism, setting off a cascade of questions that would dog her for the remainder of her abbreviated tenure. By Friday, the briefing had become the defining moment of a stint that lasted less than a full work week.

Credentials and career under review

Zacharia admitted she did not pass the bar exam, a disclosure that fueled questions about her legal credentials as press secretary. She spent much of her career as a conservative political commentator and in communication roles before being offered the White House job. Zacharia was offered the role on 9 October. Her first official day was Monday. The gap between her appointment and her first briefing was narrow, and the scrutiny of her background intensified almost immediately after she took the stage.

Trump’s public nudge toward the door

Trump spoke to reporters before departing for a campaign rally in Georgia. He said he had just spoken with Zacharia and asked whether the role was right for her. ‘I just spoke to her about it,’ Trump said. ‘I said, Katie, is this for you?’ He said she had been treated nastily by the media, and that he had told her she did not have to do the job if she did not want to. ‘She’s been treated, I would say, pretty nastily,’ Trump said. ‘And I said to Katie just two minutes ago, I said, Katie, you know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want.’ He said he would let her make the decision. ‘I’m going to let her make that decision,’ Trump said. He told Zacharia, ‘If I were you, I’d reconsider.’ He also said Sean Hannity was ‘a little bit tough’ on Zacharia during her appearance on his show Thursday night. ‘You know, she’s been treated very rough,’ Trump said. ‘And she’s a nice person.’ The upheaval comes with 18 days until the midterms.