White House · California · China · New York · Donald Trump · Fortune Technology
Katie Zacharia lasts five days, or half a Scaramucci, as White House press secretary
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after a week in the job, according to multiple news reports, following a first briefing that drew criticism and questions about whether she had overstated her legal credentials.
Key facts
- Zacharia’s tenure was shorter than the one that had long set the standard for a brief White House stint: Anthony Scaramucci’s 11 days as communications director in 2017, which turned his name
- Trump named Zacharia, a conservative commentator and adviser to the company that runs Truth Social, on Oct. 9 to replace Karoline Leavitt, who left at the end of August
- Fox News quoted a senior White House official saying she is “transitioning out.” Trump told reporters he had urged her to “reconsider” the job
- She later told Fox News’s Sean Hannity she “probably should have stepped aside” instead of taking questions without time to prepare
Summary
A senior White House official confirmed to Fortune that Zacharia is out, after less than a week since accepting the job and less than five days since appearing behind the world’s most famous podium. The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported Friday that Trump had fired her. Trump named Zacharia, a conservative commentator and adviser to the company that runs Truth Social, on Oct. 9 to replace Karoline Leavitt, who left at the end of August. Zacharia’s tenure was shorter than the one that had long set the standard for a brief White House stint: Anthony Scaramucci’s 11 days as communications director in 2017, which turned his name into a unit of measure.