When Anthony Scaramucci was fired from the White House after just 11 days, it followed a series of incendiary and unwise interactions with the media – phoning magazine reporters, calling into CNN, posting accusatory tweets – for which he had no one to blame but himself.
Perhaps Katie Zacharia, too, shoulders some blame for her record-breaking five-day tenure – for getting in over her head, for misrepresenting her legal qualifications, for making excuses rather than acknowledging her error.
But when you have to sack your fresh recruit after just five days, that reflects much more on the person doing the hiring than the person being fired.
We know that Trump chose Zacharia after watching her on Fox News and Newsmax. He liked that she was a rusted-on Trump loyalist, and indeed worked for his Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns social media platform Truth Social.
And it has to be noted that she fits a certain physical profile Trump appears to prefer in staff, especially those who are going to represent him on TV: female, white, blonde and conventionally attractive.
Beyond that, it’s not clear how much vetting took place. Zacharia said she received a call about the role last Wednesday, flew to Washington and was interviewed on Friday, got the job and was told to start on Monday.
Over that weekend, she flew home to California then back to DC. Monday was a federal holiday in the US, and Zacharia said she didn’t receive briefing papers until Tuesday morning, before holding her first – and as it turns out, only – White House press conference at 9.30am.
That is hardly a recipe for success. It is also telling of Trump’s approach to public relations: that being armed with the facts and context is unimportant compared to blind loyalty and looking good on TV.
Zacharia may have technically been in the job five days, but she really only lasted 15 minutes. That was the duration of her press conference on Tuesday, and her standing never recovered. Her awkward and hesitant performance generated bad headlines, and Trump had hired her to do exactly the opposite.
Being the White House press secretary is a tough gig. Karoline Leavitt made it look easy. She was confident at the podium, quick-witted, combative but rarely hostile, and skilled at batting away questions with a brisk: “I don’t have anything for you on that.”
But Leavitt also had months to train and prepare. She was press secretary for Trump’s campaign, and was given the White House job days after the election.
There were other candidates for Leavitt’s replacement. Trump reportedly wanted former Fox News Business anchor Maria Bartiromo but couldn’t get her. Conservative commentator and strategist Scott Jennings – a skilled communicator who appears regularly on CNN – was passed over for reasons unknown.
The debacle has also highlighted the ease with which Trump operatives brazenly lie in their statements to the media. During the week, communications director Steven Cheung claimed that stories revealing White House angst about Zacharia were “tabloid trash” and “simply made up”.
“Up and down the White House, everyone has been thoroughly impressed with Katie in just a few short days on the job,” Cheung wrote on X on Wednesday. “At the end of this second term, she’ll be remembered as one of the all-time greats.”
Remembered, yes.
Even in ousting Zacharia, Trump could not be honest. He told reporters on Friday (US time) that he suggested she reconsider the role due to the treatment she was receiving from the media, and that it was her choice.
Minutes later, it was reported that Zacharia had been fired. In reality, Trump had forced her out while publicly pretending it was her decision.
All press secretaries spin – that’s the job. But what is the public utility of a White House press secretary when they are being sent out to the podium to lie, obfuscate and manipulate the facts?
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