WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has left her post after five days following a devastating series of media appearances and questions about her legal background.
Word of Zacharia’s departure emerged shortly after Trump publicly urged her to “reconsider” her position as he left the White House for a rally in Georgia.
“Katie’s been treated very badly by the media. … And I just spoke to her about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’ Because, you know, she’s been treated very rough. And she’s a nice person,” Trump said of his press secretary who started work Monday.
“I’ve watched her for years on television, but I said, ‘Is this for you, Katie? Because honestly, you don’t need this.’”
The California native and mother of four will be “transitioning” to a new role that will be announced later and is having dinner Friday with Vice President JD Vance, a senior administration official told The Post.
Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who was widely praised for her skill at the podium before stepping down in August to spend more time with her two young children. It’s unclear when Trump might announce a replacement or whether Cabinet officials will resume holding periodic White House briefings as they did during Leavitt’s maternity leave.
Zacharia’s five days on the job mark the shortest stint ever for a Trump aide, defeating the record set previously by White House communications chief Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted just 11 days before being canned in 2017.
She was handpicked by Trump with an on-the-spot job offer last Friday, without chief of staff Susie Wiles.
After flying into DC, Trump personally prepared Zacharia for her first – and last – press briefing on Tuesday, where her nerves were on display. During her 14-minute debut, she broke the news that Trump had asked embattled US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, to resign.
But soon she became the story herself.
Zacharia was on the defensive for the rest of the week over whether she misrepresented herself as a lawyer after failing the California bar exam.
The president claimed that Fox News primetime host Sean Hannity “was a little bit tough” on Zacharia in an interview Thursday night when the Trump ally pressed Zacharia on her legal credentials. Trump said the hosts of “Fox & Friends” were similarly “a little tough” Friday morning — following her shaky initial press briefing on Tuesday.
“She’s been treated, I would say, pretty nastily,” Trump said.
“I said to Katie two minutes ago, I said, ‘Katie, you know, you don’t need to do this if you don’t want.’ She said, ‘This is a lot tougher.’ I said, ‘Welcome to the world of Trump.’”
Trump said he intends to keep Zacharia in his administration “in some form, but maybe a more pleasant form.”
“A lot of people want the job,” he added.
“I just think the press has been very tough on Katie, and I said, ‘There’s no reason for you to have to do this. You’ve got a beautiful family, a fantastic husband and kids.’”
