Trump Fooled Around Susie Wiles Over Katie Zacharia—and Found White House Tensions
A five-day tenure ends
Trump spoke about Zacharia on Friday as Marine One waited on the South Lawn. He said he wanted her to “have a good life,” and the helicopter departed for a rally in Georgia. A White House official confirmed soon afterward that she was out.
Zacharia had started as press secretary on Monday. The article says there is no official record of the shortest tenures in the job, but identifies Anthony Scaramucci’s 11 days as communications director in 2017 as the previous mark. Scaramucci commented on X that records are made to be broken, while saying he took no pleasure in others’ pain.
A hire made without Wiles
People familiar with the matter told The Independent that Trump offered Zacharia the position without informing Wiles. The chief of staff had spent weeks trying to recruit Scott Jennings, a CNN commentator, to leave his lucrative television contract and succeed Karoline Leavitt.
The account says Trump had grown frustrated by the lack of high-profile supporters defending him on television. It also says he was chafing at constraints imposed by Wiles’ leadership.
Questions inside the White House
After word spread that Trump had bypassed Wiles, discussion inside the White House shifted to whether she might leave. The possibility reportedly angered Trump and prompted staff members to maneuver.
The article suggests the episode could signal future dysfunction. It also recalls that Trump made many hires without consultation between 2017 and 2021, with many of those appointees departing within months.
Key points
- Katie Zacharia’s time as White House press secretary lasted five days.
- Trump offered her the role without consulting chief of staff Susie Wiles, according to insiders.
- Wiles had been working to recruit CNN commentator Scott Jennings as Karoline Leavitt’s successor.
- The hiring fueled questions about Wiles’ future and staff maneuvering inside the White House.