White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia steps down after short tenure

WASHINGTON, D.C. — White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is out of the job after just five days in office, one of the shortest tenures for a chief White House spokesperson in history.

Zacharia started on Monday, Oct. 12, three days after President Donald Trump announced her hiring. Her exit on Friday followed widespread scrutiny of her first press briefing on Oct. 13 and of her background. Trump had described her as an attorney, but The Wall Street Journal reported that she was not licensed to practice law in any U.S. state. Zacharia told Fox News she had failed the bar exam and did not retake it.

Two senior administration officials told Axios she was pushed out. Trump said he had encouraged her to reconsider the role. “The news has been so nasty to her. I’ve never seen anything like it actually,” he said, adding that he told her, “honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.”

The White House has not named a replacement. According to Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, Trump is in “no rush” to choose one.