White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia stands behind U.S. President Donald Trump as he departs the White House in Washington, D.C. | Photo Credit: Reuters
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was “let go” from the role, a White House official said on Friday (October 16, 2026), after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had told her to reconsider the job following public scrutiny.
“I told her: ‘I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.’ There’s nothing easy about this stuff,” Mr. Trump told reporters while departing the White House.
He added: “I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I’d reconsider... think about it. But I would reconsider.’”
Fox News, citing a White House official, later reported that Ms. Zacharia was “transitioning” out of the role of press secretary.
Ms. Zacharia started the job on Monday and held her debut White House briefing on Tuesday.
She had said she received a call about the role of press secretary last Wednesday and got offered the job to succeed Karoline Leavitt last Friday.
Mr. Trump later announced her appointment. In his announcement, he described her an attorney.
Over the last week, the question of whether Ms. Zacharia, a graduate of Pepperdine University Law School, had actually passed the bar — making her an attorney — came under fire.
On Friday, during a Fox News interview on Thursday, Ms. Zacharia said she did not pass the bar. Anthony Scaramucci served director of communications for 10 days during Trump’s first administration.
Published - October 17, 2026 12:13 am IST