Katie Zacharia, the newly appointed White House press secretary, is leaving her position after a disastrous first week in the role, a senior U.S. official confirmed to AFP on Friday, October 16. Her departure comes just seven days after she was named to the post on Friday, October 9.
The official confirmed a Fox News report that Zacharia was officially stepping down. According to U.S. media, President Donald Trump had already pushed his press secretary toward the exit earlier in the day, inviting her to “reconsider” her position.
Trump Questioned Her Fit for the Role
“I just spoke to her about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’ I don’t think so,” Trump told reporters during an exchange at the White House. The fate of the press secretary, who succeeded the loyal Karoline Leavitt, appeared sealed by Friday morning.
Throughout her first week, Zacharia, a former Fox News consultant, struggled unsuccessfully to convince the press of her appointment. During her first briefing on Tuesday, she read her statement very slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on the podium and hesitating repeatedly. She also made a significant slip of the tongue, confusing her “husband” with “President” Donald Trump.
Failed Interviews in Conservative Media
Later in the week, Zacharia’s interviews with journalists and outlets anchored in the conservative camp—intended to help her recover—had the opposite effect and further weakened her position.
The press secretary was notably challenged on Thursday evening by Sean Hannity, a star anchor at Fox News who is personally close to the president. “You’re saying your team should have prepared you better?” the host asked, openly skeptical, referring to the brisk and particularly labored first briefing given by the new press secretary on Tuesday.
Hannity then questioned Zacharia at length about her professional qualifications, which had been at the heart of a controversy since her appointment was announced. He pressed the press secretary, who had presented herself as a lawyer, to admit that she had not passed the bar exam. Her résumé had been debated across the United States throughout the week.
A Return to First-Term Chaos
In a second term marked so far by relative discipline, Zacharia’s precipitous departure recalls the chaos and revolving door of advisers that characterized Donald Trump’s first stint at the White House (2017-2021).
One emblematic episode of that era was the 2017 dismissal of White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci after only 11 days—a record that Zacharia has now largely surpassed.
Before her brief White House stint, Zacharia had already held the position of spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security for only six weeks. She left that role citing separation from her family, who remained in California.
