Katie Zacharia set to leave White House press secretary role after five days

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is departing her post after spending less than a week in the position, according to US media reports.

US President Donald Trump addressed the situation on Friday while departing for a campaign gathering in Georgia, telling journalists that he advised Zacharia to rethink her position. Trump stated that she had faced harsh treatment from reporters and suggested the role might not suit her. Following those remarks, Fox News cited an unnamed administration official stating that she was transitioning out of the press secretary position, while sources speaking to The New York Times reported that she was dismissed.

The reported departure follows a difficult debut press conference on Tuesday. During that appearance, which concluded after just 14 minutes, Zacharia answered only three questions from the press corps and seemed to have difficulty delivering a prepared statement. The briefing led to extensive public scrutiny online.

Further controversy emerged regarding her professional background. Although Trump initially introduced her as an attorney when announcing her selection, Zacharia later admitted that she did not pass the single bar examination she attempted after graduating from Pepperdine University's law school. Despite having previously described herself in public appearances as a practicing lawyer who had worked with a firm in China, Trump stated on Friday that her qualifications were not a problem and noted that she had not been brought on to provide legal counsel.

Zacharia was notably absent from the official travel roster for Trump's trip to Georgia, an event where the primary White House spokesperson routinely joins the president.

Her swift exit draws comparisons to the brief tenure of Anthony Scaramucci, who was removed as communications director after 11 days during Trump's previous term. Zacharia had stepped into the spokesperson position following the exit of Karoline Leavitt, who previously made history as the youngest individual to hold the White House press secretary role.