Katie Zacharia’s first week as press secretary turned out to be her last, with brutal details of her ousting now coming to light.
Zacharia hit the spotlight Tuesday morning when she stepped into the White House briefing room, stumbled through scripted remarks and refused to take more than three questions.
On Friday, she was axed from the role after just five days with the prestigious title. Earlier that day, she sat in her newly minted office in the West Wing with a reporter from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, interrupted the interview, tapping Zacharia on the shoulder with a request: ‘JD wanted to chat with us real quick.’
She excused herself from the interview and never came back, WSJ reported. Minutes later, Trump took questions from reporters on his helipad before departing to Joint Base Andrews.
When asked to rate Zacharia’s performance, her boss said: ‘Well, Katie’s been treated very badly by the media.’
He then recalled a conversation with her earlier that day where he suggested she should reconsider the role.
‘I said, “Is this for you Katie? Because honestly, you don’t need this,”‘ Trump told reporters.
On Friday, Katie Zacharia was summoned to meet the president. ‘You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,’ Trump told her. ‘Honestly if I were you I’d reconsider’
Zacharia was sitting for an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday when she was tapped on the shoulder for a meeting with JD Vance. Later that day, she was fired
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he suggested Zacharia ‘reconsider’ her role following a rocky first week
When asked if he still had confidence in her, the president replied: ‘I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m gonna let her make that decision.’
Trump added that he told her: ‘You should reconsider because you don’t wanna go through this,’ accusing the media of being ‘nasty’ toward her since her debut in the press room.
Before news broke of her ousting, Zacharia told the WSJ that there were ‘no staffing changes that are happening.’
She added that she was keeping the White House communications team ‘cohesive’ and boasted of her close relationship with the president.
Despite her confidence, Zacharia confessed she was running on empty, telling the interviewer she was on ‘no sleep and high adrenaline and probably too much caffeine and no food.’
Zacharia’s week-long tenure was swift and brutal. Her rocky briefing, which lasted about 14 minutes, was widely mocked online, and even Fox News hosts questioned her performance.
Zacharia was a surprise pick as press secretary. Her resume included six weeks at the Department of Homeland Security, appearances on conservative media, a role at Trump Media and a law career that came under scrutiny.
She only had 24 hours to prepare for her press briefing, telling WSJ: ‘The truth is that I have a hard time saying “no” because I want to be a team player,’ clarifying that she was not accusing the White House of rushing her.
Trump told the press on Friday that Zacharia was being slammed by the media, revealing that he suggested she ‘reconsider’ the role
Presidential advisor Jason Miller tapped Zacharia during her interview with the Wall Street Journal to notify her that JD Vance wanted to chat
A former Trump official described Zacharia as an ‘overwhelmed substitute teacher,’ the WSJ reported.
Members of the White House communications team told the outlet that she arrived late to a meeting on Friday and stood in the back of the room.
When invited to address her team, she said she was excited to work at the White House and eager to get to know everyone.
However, Zacharia’s allies told the Daily Mail that she knew it was over when she met with Trump later that day.
White House communications director Steven Cheung made her departure official, writing that she will be ‘transitioning into a new role that will be announced at a later date.’
The Daily Mail also revealed that Susie Wiles pushed to oust Zacharia after Trump bypassed her during the hiring process.
On Friday night, Zacharia praised Trump in her final act as press secretary, writing in a statement: ‘President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man.
‘I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him.’
Despite her brutal departure, Zacharia said it was an ‘honor’ to work for Trump and described him as ‘a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man’
Despite her short tenure, Zacharia still found controversy during her week in office. After calling herself a lawyer, it was quickly uncovered that she never passed the bar exam.
When asked by a reporter on Tuesday where she passed the exam, Zacharia replied: ‘When I moved to China.’
She later clarified that she had not heard the question and tried to smooth things over in two interviews with Sean Hannity on Fox News and again on Fox & Friends.
Her appearances failed to save her role. A senior administration official previously told the Daily Mail: ‘If she can’t handle Fox being a little tough, she’s not going to be able to handle CNN.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment on the WSJ’s reporting.
