Trump Removes New White House Press Secretary After Just Five Days

US President Donald Trump’s newly appointed White House press secretary, Katie Zakaria, was removed from the position on Friday after just five days in the role, following a disastrous first press briefing, questions about her legal credentials and sustained media criticism.

The decision marked one of the shortest tenures in the history of the White House press secretary position.

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday afternoon, as he prepared to travel to Georgia for a campaign rally ahead of the midterm elections, Trump said he had advised Zakaria to reconsider her new role.

“Honestly, if I were you, I would reconsider. Katie, do you need this pressure? I don’t think you do,” Trump said.

Three people familiar with the matter confirmed to The New York Times, speaking on condition of anonymity, that Zakaria had been removed from the position. Trump, however, suggested she might continue working with him “in some capacity, but probably in a more comfortable role.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung later confirmed that Zakaria would “transition into a new role,” details of which would be announced at a later date.

The development came just days after Cheung had publicly praised Zakaria. On Wednesday, he wrote on social media that officials across the White House were “deeply impressed” by her work and predicted that she would be remembered as one of the best by the end of Trump’s second term.

Zakaria responded on social media Friday night, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to work with Trump.

“It was an honor to work with Trump,” she wrote, describing the president as kind, wonderful, generous, thoughtful, enthusiastic and hardworking. She added that she wished more Americans would appreciate him.

Trump offered the position to Zakaria, a relatively obscure and unpaid Fox News commentator, the previous Friday. She was largely unknown to many White House officials, but reportedly benefited from the support of Natalie Harp, one of the president’s closest aides.

Zakaria officially assumed the role on Monday, although she had not yet relocated to Washington.

Her first press briefing on Tuesday quickly descended into controversy. After delivering a prepared statement, she ended the question-and-answer session with reporters after just five and a half minutes.

Questions about her legal qualifications soon followed. Although Trump had introduced her as an attorney, reports indicated that she had not passed a bar examination.

A New York Times reporter repeatedly asked Zakaria on the White House South Lawn which state’s bar examination she had passed. On two occasions, she responded, “When I moved to China.”

She later said she had misheard the question, although Trump, who was standing just a few feet away, had repeated the reporter’s question to her.

The controversy intensified Thursday night during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. Hannity, a longtime Trump ally, pressed Zakaria on her legal credentials and questioned her in unusually confrontational terms.

The pressure continued Friday morning on Fox & Friends, when host Lawrence Jones asked whether she had failed to inform the president that she had not passed the bar examination.

“Lawrence, I was not asked those questions,” Zakaria replied.

The interviews added to the scrutiny surrounding her appointment and further intensified questions about her suitability for the position.

Zakaria’s removal came amid an unusually turbulent week inside the Trump administration.

On Tuesday, during Zakaria’s first press briefing, US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle was reportedly dismissed in an announcement made on television.

Trump also had to address a reported dispute between two of his allies, Richard Grenell and Alina Habba Mildon, in the Oval Office.

Meanwhile, Paolo Zampolli, a longtime Trump confidant, was removed from his position at the State Department after internal disputes reportedly became public. Questions also emerged over overseas earnings involving the daughter and associates of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

The developments highlighted a period of internal friction and personnel changes within the administration.

Zakaria’s departure also drew comparisons with Trump’s first administration, when Anthony Scaramucci was dismissed as White House communications director just 10 days after his appointment, setting a record at the time.

Following news of Zakaria’s removal, Scaramucci wrote on X: “Records are made to be broken. But I take no joy in the suffering of others.”

Zakaria’s future responsibilities within the administration remain unclear, with the White House saying only that she would move into a new role to be announced later.