Trump fires White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after five days

What happened

What happened

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia left her role after less than a week, making her tenure one of the shortest in the position's history. She started on Monday, held her debut briefing on Tuesday, and was gone by Friday. Trump told reporters he had spoken with Zacharia and suggested she reconsider, saying "I think you're better off being happy" and "Katie, do you need this? I don't think you need this." He indicated he would make a final decision after returning from travel.

Zacharia faced immediate scrutiny over her professional background and performance. Her inaugural briefing lasted about 14 minutes, during which she took questions from only three reporters from conservative-leaning outlets. She came under particular criticism for representing herself as a lawyer when she had not passed a bar examination and is not licensed to practice law in any US state. Reuters could not find records showing she was registered as an attorney anywhere. She later told Fox News she had not passed the bar exam. Zacharia said she had worked in communications for Trump Media and briefly at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump's previous term. Her departure leaves the White House without a key public messenger.

Key facts

• Zacharia fired after five days, one of the shortest press secretary tenures on record
• She held only one briefing, lasting 14 minutes, on Tuesday
• She failed to pass the California bar exam and is not licensed to practice law
• Zacharia previously worked for Trump Media and the Department of Homeland Security
• She was appointed on October 9, replacing Karoline Leavitt

Covered byStuffNZ Herald1NewsOtago Daily TimesNot covered byRNZNewstalk ZBNewsroomThe SpinoffBusinessDeskinterest.co.nz

Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.

Where the outlets differ

The NZ Herald and Otago Daily Times note Zacharia's tenure was shorter than Anthony Scaramucci's 10-day stint in 2017, providing historical context for how brief her role was. The Stuff headline about the chief of staff allegedly orchestrating a disastrous Fox interview suggests additional reporting on the circumstances of her departure, though this detail does not appear in the full articles provided.

What outlets are saying