Katie Zacharia leaves White House press secretary role after just 5 days

Five days in the role

Zacharia’s departure makes her the shortest-serving White House press secretary in history. The New York Times and CNN reported she had been fired after less than a week; a White House official told Business Insider she was “transitioning out” of the position.

Trump spoke about her departure to reporters at the White House. He said he had told Zacharia she did not have to continue if she did not want to, and said she described the job as “a lot tougher” than she had expected.

Scrutiny after first briefing

CNN reported after the briefing that several White House officials were questioning how long she could stay in the position. The article says her résumé lacked the campaign and Capitol Hill experience previous press secretaries brought to the job.

A search for another spokesperson

Trump said Friday that Zacharia had been treated “very badly” and “very unfairly” by the media. Her departure means he will again need to find a top spokesperson, after Karoline Leavitt left the role in August.

In the modern era, press secretaries have typically served about a year, CNN noted. Sean Spicer, Trump’s first White House press secretary, left after 182 days in August 2017. Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, known as “The Mooch,” commented on X: “Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”