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Trump Fires Press Secretary Zacharia After Five-Day Tenure
· Confirmed
In Short: The accounts agree that Zacharia's tenure as press secretary was brief and marked by controversy, with her firing coming after just five days on the job.
Katie Zacharia, President Trump's new White House press secretary, was removed from her role after just five days on the job, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News on Friday.
Zacharia's tenure was marked by a heavily criticized performance in the White House briefing room and growing questions over whether she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer, despite never having passed the bar.
Sources told CBS News that Zacharia was expected to start a new role in the administration soon, though she did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hannity, a Trump ally, noted that her performance was 'widely panned,' while Zacharia told conservative commentator Jack Posobiec that she never described herself as an 'attorney at law,' and said there's 'a lot of misinformation around the fact that I labeled myself a lawyer.'
Zacharia told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday that she had received briefing materials in the morning of Tuesday and went to deliver 'all of the great results that President Trump is delivering for the American people that are not often spread in the national media.'
Trump said he told Zacharia to 'reconsider the job,' adding that he wants her to be happy, as she's been 'suffering' the last few days as the media has been 'brutal' to her.
In a social media post Friday night, Zacharia wrote, 'President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him.'
Zacharia's firing comes less than a week after she assumed the role of White House press secretary from Karoline Leavitt, and her tenure was marked by a turbulent week.
The White House is defending Zacharia amid scrutiny over her legal credentials, with some outlets reporting that she has represented herself as a lawyer over the years.
Zacharia's firing echoes the brief tenure of Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted 11 days in 2017 as President Donald Trump's communications director.
Zacharia's first appearance as press secretary was on Tuesday, and her debut White House briefing was held the same day.
The news of Zacharia's firing was reported by multiple outlets, including CBS News, Fox2Detroit, Livenowfox, Click2Houston, The New Republic, The Wenatchee World, Deadline Detroit, HELLO! Magazine, TheGrio, WPSD Local 6, Breitbart, and Fox2Detroit.
What this adds
Zacharia's legal credentials were under scrutiny, with some outlets reporting that she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer.
The White House defended Zacharia amid the controversy, but her tenure was marked by a turbulent week and a heavily criticized performance in the White House briefing room.
Background
Zacharia’s tenure as press secretary lasted less than a week, with her first appearance in the White House briefing room on Tuesday, as reported by Click2Houston, The New Republic, and The Wenatchee World.
The White House is defending its new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, amid scrutiny over her legal credentials, according to reports from the BBC (United Kingdom) and Tribune (Pakistan).
What's confirmed
- "What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference, Sean, with very little prep time," Zacharia told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday.
- "But I take no pleasure in other people's pain."
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump’s press secretary, Katie Zacharia, was fired Friday after less than a week on the job.
- President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he told Zacharia to "reconsider the job."
- Trump says he told Zacharia to reconsider the role, as she's been "suffering" the last few days as the media has been "brutal" to her, adding that he wants her to be happy.
- Katie Zacharia will make her first appearance as President Donald Trump's press secretary in the White House briefing room on Tuesday.
- In a social media post Friday night, she wrote, "President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him."
What's still developing
- Fox News also reported that Zacharia would be “ transitioning out ” of the job, though it’s unclear what exactly that means.
- Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol give their takes on the news White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia made when she announced on her first day that the White House asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
- She said she hopes to develop stronger relationships with members of the White House press corps and have more substantive interactions with reporters going forward.
- "No one thought she was sticking around long enough to even involve her in actual decision-making," the aide said.
- ET, a mere 24 hours after starting work in her new role and four days after being named as Karoline Leavitt's replacement, the Washington Examiner reported.
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