Katie Zacharia Out As White House Press Secretary After Five Days

Katie Zacharia has been ousted as White House press secretary after a five-day tenure, with President Donald Trump publicly urging her to reconsider her role.

Zacharia posted a statement on X praising Trump, calling him a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man and stating, "No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him." The post included a photo of Zacharia with Trump in the Oval Office.

Her departure followed a pair of interviews on Fox News, including one on Sean Hannity's program where her first press briefing was described as widely panned and her claim to be an attorney was questioned despite failing the California bar exam. During a "Fox & Friends" interview, she struggled with talking points about a search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's home and could not state when her next briefing would occur.

Trump told reporters he had suggested Zacharia reconsider her position, stating, "Katie, is this for you?" and that she had been treated very, very unfairly by the news. Zacharia is transitioning to a new role and was scheduled to dine with Vice President JD Vance. Her five-day tenure is shorter than Anthony Scaramucci's 11-day stint as White House communications director in 2017. An ethics watchdog group urged the State Bar of California to investigate Zacharia's credentials after she was reportedly ousted.