White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is out after five days, undone by a panned briefing and unverified credentials

Katie Zacharia is “transitioning out” as White House press secretary after five days on the job, a White House official confirmed Friday. President Donald Trump told reporters he had suggested she reconsider the role, saying he told her, “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.”

A White House official confirmed the departure but was not authorized to speak on the record. Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who left the administration in late August. Trump announced Zacharia’s selection in an Oct. 9 Truth Social post. Before her appointment, Zacharia was a conservative commentator and worked at Trump Media & Technology Group.

A 14-minute briefing that went sideways

Zacharia’s first briefing was Tuesday and was widely criticized. The briefing lasted 14 minutes, and Zacharia spent less than six minutes answering questions. She took questions from only three reporters. During the briefing, she called her husband “the president” — a gaffe that drew immediate attention. She also revealed that Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to step down.

Credentials under fire

Zacharia did not pass the bar exam. She took it once and failed. She graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in California, and Trump described her as an “attorney” when announcing her appointment. Zacharia defended calling herself a “lawyer” while distinguishing it from “attorney,” a title she said was reserved for those licensed to practice law. She had previously shared social media posts identifying herself as an “attorney.” Zacharia said of the posts: “I think they were retweets, and I corrected the record.”

Sean Hannity interviewed Zacharia on Thursday evening and pressed her on her briefing and legal credentials. Hannity asked why she got into a long definition of the difference between a lawyer and an attorney, saying he did not think most people saw much of a distinction. Lawrence Jones on Fox & Friends told Zacharia it had been a tough week and asked if she still had the president’s confidence. Zacharia replied, “I’m standing here.”

Trump frames it as her call

Trump spoke to reporters outside the White House on Friday before departing. He accused the media of treating Zacharia badly and said Hannity was “a little bit tough” on her. “She’s been treated very rough. And she’s a nice person,” Trump said. Trump said he told her: “Katie, you know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung said in an X post Wednesday that everyone had been impressed with Katie, writing that at the end of the second term she would be remembered as one of the all-time greats. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported that Trump was embarrassed by coverage of Zacharia’s briefing and that Zacharia had few allies when Trump polled aides.

Shorter than Scaramucci

Zacharia’s tenure was shorter than Anthony Scaramucci’s as communications director. Scaramucci posted on X: “Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.” Trump was heading to Georgia for a political rally with 18 days until the midterms. Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said the appointment and reversal could create problems for Trump ahead of midterm elections. Halkett said a major credibility issue and a shaky performance sealed Zacharia’s fate.