Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after just five days on the job, ending what may be the shortest tenure in the history of the position and capping one of the messiest weeks Washington has seen in a long time.
According to mlive, Zacharia confirmed her departure on X on Friday, October 16, after reports first emerged that she had already left the role. She had only started the previous Monday. Nobody in the White House press room can remember a press secretary lasting less, and it is unclear when President Donald Trump will name a replacement.
A week of hell in Washington
Joe Pollak, an opinion editor at the California Post, wrote Monday that he spoke with Zacharia to ask how she was holding up after what he described as the Washington hell she went through. Zacharia told him it has been rough, but she is back home in California with her husband and four kids and is holding her head high.
Her week in the job was turbulent from the start. She held her first press briefing just 24 hours after being sworn in, a session that lasted roughly 15 minutes and in which she read directly from prepared remarks, misspoke, and took only three questions, according to Yahoo! and CBS News. Critics also raised questions about how she had described her legal career, after a report emerged that she did not pass the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University in 2011. Zacharia insisted she consulted with experts and is allowed to be described as a lawyer rather than an attorney.
The Hill reported that her exit followed the controversial debut and the legal scrutiny, and TIME confirmed the departure through a person familiar with the situation.
What Zacharia said after her firing
Breaking her silence, Zacharia rejected the idea that Trump had put her in a difficult position. She said in interviews before the news broke that she had very little time to prepare for the briefing.
Answering the president's call to serve was an honor, she told Pollak, and her kids were able to see their mom step up for one of the most sought-after jobs in the world.
Asked whether she had any regrets, she was defiant. I'm proud I said yes, stood firm in what I believe, and kept supporting the president even when the circumstances weren't ideal for me, showing my children what courage looks like in the face of criticism, she said.
On lessons learned, Zacharia said it is important to stay true to your character, focus on the work in front of you and refuse to be defined by the critics.
Trump's own words on the exit
Trump himself hinted that he had pushed her out. On Friday he told reporters he had asked Zacharia to reconsider whether she wanted the position, and when asked whether she should stay in his administration in some capacity, he said he believes in some form but maybe a more pleasant form.
I just think the press is very tough on Katie, Trump said. And I said, 'There's no reason you have to go through this.
Trump's allies, including White House communications director Steven Cheung, continued to defend her performance amid the criticism. Zacharia had also defended herself on Fox News' Hannity program on Thursday night, saying she believed she really stepped up to the plate to hold a briefing with very little prep time. She said she would be very well prepared going forward, hoping to build relationships with reporters and fulfill Trump's trust in her. That forward never came.
Trump announced on October 9 that Zacharia would be his second press secretary of the term, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August to spend more time with her family.
Why Zambians should care about the circus in Washington
Here is the truth that our own commentators keep repeating: the American political machine, the one that never stops lecturing Africa about governance, professionalism and institutions, cannot even keep a press secretary in the chair for one working week. The same Western elites who fly into Lusaka with prescriptions for how we should run our democracy are presiding over a revolving door in their own seat of power.
Five days. That is what the most powerful office in the West managed. A woman was handed one of the most coveted jobs in the world on Monday and shown the door by Friday, then told by her own boss that maybe she could stay in some form but a more pleasant form. If that happened in any African government, the same Washington commentators would be writing columns about instability and dysfunction.
We in Zambia know something about pressure. We know about critics, foreign and local. And we know the difference between leaders who stand by their people and leaders who drop them the moment the headlines turn. Zacharia said she wanted to show her children what courage looks like in the face of criticism. Fair enough. But the lesson from Washington this week is a different one: in the West, loyalty flows one way, and the door revolves fast.
Our sovereignty, our resources and our national pride do not depend on the approval of people who cannot run their own press shop for a full week. Let Zambia watch this spectacle and draw the obvious conclusion: build your own institutions, trust your own people, and never outsource your dignity to a capital that treats its own staff as disposable.
Frequently asked questions
How long did Katie Zacharia serve as White House press secretary?
Katie Zacharia served five days, from Monday to Friday, which appears to be the shortest tenure in the history of White House press secretaries.
Why was Katie Zacharia removed?
She faced criticism over a rough first press briefing that lasted about 15 minutes, plus questions about how she described her legal career after a report said she did not pass the California bar exam. Trump said he asked her to reconsider whether she wanted the position.
Who did Katie Zacharia replace?
She replaced Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August to spend more time with her family. Trump announced Zacharia's appointment on October 9.