Trump advised Katie Zacharia to reconsider her press secretary role due to media backlash over her credentials.
Published On 16 Oct 2026
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is “transitioning out” of her role as press secretary just one week after United States President Donald Trump tapped her for the role, Al Jazeera has confirmed.
Earlier on Friday, Trump told reporters he told Zacharia to “reconsider” remaining on the job.
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“I don’t think Katie should be made to suffer like she’s suffering at the hands of the press,” Trump said as he departed the White House. “I said to her, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it.’”
Zacharia said she had received a call about the role on Wednesday. She succeeded Karoline Leavitt.
Trump later announced her appointment. In his announcement, he described her as an attorney; however, over the last week, the question of whether Zacharia, a graduate of California’s Pepperdine University law school, had actually passed the bar, making her an attorney, came under fire.
In an interview, she told Fox News on Thursday that she did not pass the bar exam.
She lasted five days on the job, half the length of Anthony Scaramucci’s tenure as director of communications, who served 10 days during Trump’s first administration.
