WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Friday that Katie Zacharia, his newly appointed and increasingly controversial press secretary, could soon leave the role — just one week after he selected her.
Zacharia faced scrutiny almost immediately after her first briefing Tuesday, when she appeared uneasy and delivered stumbling remarks praising Trump and his record. The 14-minute session also sparked questions about her professional credentials after reports highlighted that the conservative commentator had referred to herself as a lawyer despite not passing a bar exam or holding other qualifications to practice law.
Trump’s decision to name Zacharia on Oct. 9 came as a surprise. She replaced Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary and a longtime member of Trump’s inner circle. The turmoil surrounding Zacharia’s appointment recalled several staff selections from Trump’s first term that ended after brief and rocky runs.
Trump said he had spoken with Zacharia about reconsidering the position, while arguing that news coverage of her early performance had been unfair.
“I told her, ‘I think you’re better off being happy,’” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn before departing for a rally in Georgia. “I said, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.’ I said, ‘You think about it, but I would reconsider.’”
Messages seeking comment from Zacharia were not returned Friday, and the White House did not immediately issue a statement.
Trump said he asked his press secretary, “‘Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this,’” explaining that he wanted her “to have a good life” rather than endure what he described as being “brutalized by the media.”
The president said he would make a final decision after returning from campaign travel Friday and over the weekend. “When I get back, we’re gonna talk,” he said. Asked who could take over if Zacharia departs, Trump replied that many people were interested in the position.
Zacharia officially began the job Monday.
Her brief tenure has been overshadowed by questions about her résumé and her uneven handling of reporters. During Tuesday’s briefing, she took questions from only three journalists, all representing conservative-leaning or pro-Trump outlets, before ending the session after roughly 14 minutes.
Zacharia has said she intentionally kept the briefing short so Trump could hold his own question-and-answer session later that morning. She also said White House staff had not fully prepared her beforehand.
She accompanied Trump to rallies in Alaska, Arizona and Montana on Wednesday and Thursday, but did not conduct another formal press briefing during those trips.
During a Fox News Channel appearance Friday, Zacharia was asked whether she still had Trump’s confidence. “I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me,” she replied. She did not say when she might hold her next briefing.
Questions about why Zacharia called herself a lawyer
Zacharia, who earned a law degree from Pepperdine University, has also faced criticism for describing herself as a lawyer while appearing as a commentator on conservative television programs. She has argued that the description was appropriate when she was providing legal analysis and said she previously worked as a lawyer in China.
Speaking on Fox News Friday, Zacharia said no one had asked whether she had passed a bar exam before appointing her press secretary. Trump later emphasized that she had been hired to serve as a White House spokesperson, not as an attorney.
Before joining the administration, Zacharia worked in communications for Trump Media, the company behind the president’s Truth Social platform. She also spent a short period at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s second administration.
