WASHINGTON - White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was pushed out on Oct 16 after less than a week in the high-profile job, following a series of blunders that added to distractions for her embattled boss President Donald Trump.
“Can confirm,” a White House official told AFP, after Fox News reported that Zacharia, 41, was “transitioning out.”
The writing was on the wall earlier when Trump made clear he was ready to see his newly minted spokeswoman go amid criticism that she had pretended to be a lawyer and over her one, much-mocked press briefing.
“I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?,’” Trump told reporters. “I said, ‘Katie, you don’t have to do this’... I said to her, ‘Honestly if I were you I’d reconsider.’”
Zacharia only began her job five days ago, taking over from the combative Karoline Leavitt, who helped Trump reshape White House coverage by bringing in more friendly outlets and fiercely attacking critical media.
Zacharia had gotten off to a rocky start with her first press room briefing on Oct 13.
It lasted less than 15 minutes, starting with a remarkably slow reading out of what she said were Trump’s many accomplishments – then taking just three questions from journalists.
She then plunged into controversy when it emerged that her previous claims to be a lawyer were not true.
The kerfuffle is a distraction for 80-year-old Trump as he flies around the country trying to boost Republican candidates ahead of the Nov 3 congressional midterm elections, with polls predicting a drubbing.
The Republican leader himself also faces ever-lower polls as Americans sour over the war against Iran, inflation and perceptions of corruption.
‘Not a real lawyer’
Zacharia had described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.
While she does have a law degree from a California university, she acknowledged on Oct 15 she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States.
She embarked on a series of damage-control interviews on Trump-friendly outlets, but they did no good.
In one of them, Fox News’ Sean Hannity, a close Trump ally, appeared dismissive of Zacharia.
He asked the press secretary if she ever retook the bar exam. She replied: “I did not.”
“It was never my intent to go into the practice of law,” she said.
In another interview on Oct 15 with pro-Trump outlet Real America’s Voice, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was “distracted and overwhelmed” by plans to move to China with her husband.
Zacharia said that “many people in the field” had assured her that she could “label myself a lawyer,” given her law degree.
China’s toilets
Fox and Friends, which often conducts friendly interviews with Trump administration officials, was unusually direct on Oct 16 when a host asked Zacharia if she still had the confidence of the president.
“I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me,” she said, sidestepping the question.
Zacharia further stirred controversy on Oct 15 when she disparaged China, whose leader Xi Jinping was recently Trump’s guest in a pomp-filled Washington visit.
The press secretary recalled the perception in 2016 was that China would soon overtake the United States.
“I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, ‘How is China the next country on the horizon? They don’t even have proper toilets,’” she told right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec in an interview.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded on Oct 16 that Zacharia should “visit China more often.” AFP