White House press secretary Zacharia out after five days
Trump named her on Oct. 9 to succeed Karoline Leavitt. One official calls it a "transition"; Al Jazeera reports a firing.
The White House is without a press secretary. Katie Zacharia is leaving the job this Friday, Oct. 16, five days after President Donald Trump named her to succeed Karoline Leavitt. Fox News broke the news, quoting a White House official who said Zacharia is "transitioning" out of the post. AP, in the Philadelphia Inquirer's copy, cites a person familiar with the matter who asked for anonymity, and says the White House did not respond to a request for confirmation. Al Jazeera, by contrast, reports a firing.
As of this writing, neither version has been publicly confirmed by the White House.
Her only appearance at the podium was Tuesday, Oct. 13. According to AP, the briefing lasted about 14 minutes and Zacharia took questions from just three reporters. All three work for outlets friendly to Trump or conservative in orientation. Attention then turned to her résumé: she said on Fox News that she did not pass the California bar exam, although she had previously presented herself as a lawyer.
Trump discussed the matter with Fox and with AP. He told Fox, according to Al Jazeera, that "I don't think Katie should have to suffer like she's suffering," and blamed the press. According to AP, the president said he asked her to "reconsider." He added that he would talk with her after his weekend trip and make a decision then. That leaves open whether her exit is final.
There is no successor either. Al Jazeera reports that Trump told Fox he is in no hurry to hire someone else; AP says he said "a lot of people" want the job. It remains unclear who will give the regular White House briefings in the meantime.
