Katie Zacharia fired as White House Press Secretary after only five days in role

Questions regarding Zacharia came immediately after her first press briefing, with many regarding how she presented her legal career and more.

Less than a week after assuming the role of White House press secretary from Karoline Leavitt, Katie Zacharia is out, according to the New York Times.

Zacharia, who characterized herself as a lawyer despite not having passed the bar, had a disjointed first press briefing on Monday. President Trump informed reporters on Friday that he told Zacharia to “reconsider” the position.

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” he said, recounting the conversation. “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.”

Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University in 2007 and earned her JD from the school in 2011. However, questions about her legal career after her time at Pepperdine swelled. When asked on Tuesday in which state she passed the bar exam, Zacharia replied twice, “When I moved to China.”

The Times and the Wall Street Journal further inquired about her law degree, but discovered that she was not a practicing attorney, nor did she have a law license in any state where she lived in the United States.

Zacharia described the mix-up as a “misunderstanding” despite identifying herself as the “general counsel” for Fix California, a group led by longtime Trump loyalist Richard Grenell. Foreign nationals cannot take the bar in China, hold a law license in the country or advise on Chinese law. They can, however, advise Chinese-based law firms on foreign or international law for cross-border deals.

Her exit after only five days in the role marks the shortest tenure for a White House Press Secretary on record. The brief tenure has drawn parallels to former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted 11 days in the role during the first Trump Administration.

Trump announced the hiring of Zacharia last Friday in a post on Truth Social. A former Fox News and Newsmax commentator, her week began with a topsy-turvy initial press briefing that lasted only 15 minutes and ended with two interviews on Fox News, one with Sean Hannity and another on “Fox and Friends” on Friday.

Both were met with skepticism, even by conservative commentators.