Oct. 16, 2026Updated Oct. 17, 2026, 8:53 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON – Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary just five days into the job, a remarkably swift departure from the high-profile position that came after a rocky first briefing and criticism that she misrepresented herself as a lawyer.
Five sources familiar with the decision confirmed her ouster, including three senior White House officials, who told USA TODAY that Zacharia is “transitioning out” of the job. Her exit came shortly after President Donald Trump told reporters the job of press secretary might not be for her and had asked her to consider stepping down.
“I said to Katie, ‘You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Trump said on Oct. 16, adding she’s been treated “very rough” and “nastily” by the media. “I said, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it, but I’d reconsider.'”
“Look, she has suffered over the last few days. Maybe it’s not for her,” the president continued. “I said, ‘You want to be happy in life.'”
Zacharia addressed her exit in a social media post hours after she was let go, saying “it was an honor” to work with Trump.
“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man,” Zacharia said in the Oct. 16 post. “I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.”
Zacharia’s quick departure came after the White House initially rallied behind the 41-year-old press secretary after an unsteady briefing that was widely panned. Her five-day stint means that she didn’t last half the 11 days Anthony Scaramucci worked as White House communications director during Trump’s first term before he was fired.
“Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain,” Scaramucci wrote on X.
Zacharia’s only briefing lasted just 14 minutes
Zacharia, a regular guest on Fox News and Newsmax, had big shoes to fill when she was hired last week to replace former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who was known for her aggressive approach as she set the tone for the White House’s handling of a wide range of issues.
Prior to joining the White House, Zacharia worked as senior communications advisor for the company that run’s Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, in addition to her regular appearances on television as a conservative pundit.
Her termination comes less than three weeks before a midterm election in which Democrats have momentum as Trump has struggled to sell his agenda, with the president complaining his team isn’t doing more to promote his accomplishments. Zacharia is the latest in a series of prominent female administration officials to leave or be fired ‒ including Leavitt, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
From the outset, Zacharia faced criticism for appearing unprepared during her first press briefing on Oct. 13. It clocked in at 14 minutes, with her reading from prepared remarks and taking questions from just three reporters, each from conservative outlets. Zacharia spoke slowly and didn’t look comfortable. Trump’s critics ripped the performance.
Defending herself on Fox News, Zacharia pointed to the back-and-forth cross-country trips she took from California to Washington D.C. after being offered the job last week, saying it gave her little time to prepare for her first briefing on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 13. She said she didn’t receive the White House’s “briefing materials” until shortly before she faced the media.
Questions also quickly emerged about Zacharia’s legal credentials. Despite long referring to herself publicly as a lawyer, Zacharia confirmed to USA TODAY in an interview on Oct. 15 that she failed the California bar exam in 2011 and never obtained a law license in the United States.
Zacharia, who graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, said she got married the same week. Shortly afterward, she took the bar exam before moving with her husband to China, where he had been living. She said she worked for a Chinese law firm’s international-practice team on multimillion-dollar shareholder agreements for investments, a job that didn’t require a law license.
“The results of the bar exam were inconsequential because I was already moving to a foreign country that didn’t require it,” Zacharia said in an interview with USA TODAY.
Even close Trump ally Sean Hannity raised questions
Zacharia did not attempt to take the bar exam a second time, yet she publicly identified herself a lawyer after returning to the United States even though she lacks the credentials to practice law in any state.
While having a law license isn’t a requirement for her work as press secretary, Zacharia faced questions about whether she misrepresented herself and potentially violated the law. Many legal experts said self-identifying as a lawyer Zacharia’s case is both inappropriate and unethical. A watchdog group filed a complaint against Zacharia with the State Bar of California.
Despite her explanations, Zacharia was unable to tamp down the criticism.
Her shaky week in the White House culminated on Oct. 15, when she faced a tough grilling from Fox News host Sean Hannity, a Trump ally whose show the president is known to watch.
Hannity asked pointed questions to Zacharia, questioning why she seemed to blame the White House staff for her lack of preparedness for the briefing and why she self-identified as a lawyer despite failing the bar exam.
“You know, that is a very tough room,” Hannity said. “And I’ve known a lot of press secretaries over the years. And following on the heels of Karoline Leavitt is very tough, and speaking for Donald Trump makes everything tougher.”
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
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