Trump fires press secretary Katie Zacharia after five days — shortest stint on record

President Donald Trump has fired White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after just five days in the job, two US officials told Reuters on Friday. The departure is the shortest stint of any White House press secretary on record.

Zacharia was “let go” and is “transitioning out”, the officials said, after a rocky start marked by scrutiny of her legal credentials and criticism of her debut briefing. Five sources, including three senior White House officials, confirmed the ouster to USA Today.

Trump told reporters on Friday he had asked her to reconsider the role: “I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I’d reconsider… think about it. But I would reconsider.’” He added: “I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.”

Zacharia, a former Fox News and Newsmax commentator who succeeded Karoline Leavitt, faced questions after presenting herself as an attorney but acknowledging she had not passed the California bar exam. Her Tuesday debut briefing lasted about 14 minutes and was widely panned.

In a post on X, Zacharia said it “was an honor” to work for Trump. White House communications director Steven Cheung called speculation around her exit “fiction”. The five-day tenure ends before the record of Anthony Scaramucci, fired after 11 days in 2017.

The exit leaves Trump without a key public messenger less than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.