President Donald Trump has removed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia from her position, a White House official confirmed on Friday, October 16. The decision came five days after she officially began the role on Monday, October 12, marking the shortest tenure for a White House spokesperson or communications director. The dismissal occurred shortly after Trump departed for a rally in Georgia, following a week in which Zacharia faced questions regarding her professional credentials and conducted a single 14-minute press briefing.
The transition began on Friday, October 9, when Trump announced he was hiring Zacharia, a conservative TV commentator, to succeed the previous press secretary. According to a report from the Washington Post citing four people familiar with the decision, Trump reached out to Zacharia without consulting his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles. Zacharia started her duties on Monday and held her first briefing the following day, Tuesday, October 13.
During that 14-minute briefing, Zacharia spent eight minutes reading a scripted statement and took questions from three outlets. During the session, she referred to the president as her husband and announced the firing of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece. Following the briefing, reports from Popular Information and the Wall Street Journal stated that while Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school, she did not hold a law license in any U.S. state and had failed the California bar exam.
In a televised interview on Thursday, October 15, Fox News host Sean Hannity questioned Zacharia on why she described herself as a lawyer or attorney in 18 television appearances since March. Zacharia stated she never provided legal advice and had consulted professionals about the labels. On Friday morning, Zacharia told Fox & Friends that no one in the Trump administration had asked about her legal credentials during the hiring process.
Speaking to reporters on Friday before the firing was confirmed, Trump stated that Zacharia had been treated "very unfairly" by the media and that he had told her she did not have to continue in the role. He noted that the news had been "nasty to her" and that he wanted her to "have a good life." When asked if he wanted her to remain in the job, he initially said he would speak with her upon his return to Washington but confirmed he liked her "a lot."
The controversy surrounding Zacharia’s legal credentials centers on her use of the titles "lawyer" or "attorney" while not holding a state license. While Zacharia stated she consulted professionals about the terminology, the Wall Street Journal reported she failed the California bar exam and did not retake it. This discrepancy led to public questioning of the administration's vetting process for high-level appointments, as Zacharia herself stated that administration officials did not ask about her licensure during her recruitment.
The event also highlights reported internal dynamics within the White House leadership. The Washington Post reported that the hiring of Zacharia occurred without the input of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the longest-tenured person in that role under Trump. This sequence of events preceded reports of a power struggle within the administration. A new spokesperson has not yet been named, and it is not yet reported when the next formal press briefing will occur or who will lead it.