US President Donald Trump has reportedly dismissed his new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, after just one week in the role, following scrutiny of her professional qualifications and criticism of her first appearance before reporters. The New York Times and CNN reported that Zacharia was leaving the position, citing people familiar with the matter and presidential advisers. Germany’s dpa news agency, citing a senior administration official, reported that she was giving up the post, although the official did not specify when her departure would take effect.
Trump had indicated shortly before the reports emerged that he had advised Zacharia to reconsider her position. Speaking to journalists in Washington, he said he had suggested that she think about whether the job was right for her. Trump said he would leave the decision on whether to remain in the role to Zacharia herself, suggesting that her future in the administration was still formally a matter for her to decide at that point.
The reported departure followed questions about Zacharia’s professional credentials. According to media reports, she had described herself as a lawyer for years despite having failed the bar examination. The allegations drew attention to her suitability for the high-profile communications role, which requires the administration’s chief public spokesperson to respond to questions from journalists and communicate the president’s positions.
Zacharia subsequently acknowledged the allegations during an interview with Fox News, according to the source report. The interview marked a public response to the controversy surrounding her qualifications, although the available account provides no further detail about her explanation or the circumstances in which she had previously described herself as a lawyer.
The questions over her professional background were compounded by criticism of her first White House press briefing. During the appearance, Zacharia relied heavily on a prepared manuscript and reportedly confused her husband with the president. Her handling of the briefing attracted criticism, adding to the scrutiny surrounding her appointment.
The press conference also drew attention because of the limited opportunity it gave journalists to question her. Zacharia accepted only three questions, all from media outlets described in the source as favourable to Trump, before ending the briefing in less than 15 minutes. The format and brevity of the session became further points of criticism during her already short tenure.
The White House press secretary occupies a prominent position in the administration’s public communications, serving as a key point of contact between the president and the press. Zacharia’s brief appearance in the role meant that her first briefing became an early test of her ability to handle questions from journalists while representing the administration’s position.
Trump had appointed Zacharia only the previous Friday, naming her as the successor to Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt had announced her resignation, citing family reasons, and Zacharia was selected to take over the position. Her appointment was followed within days by the controversy over her qualifications and the criticism of her initial performance before reporters.
The reports of Zacharia’s departure emerged after Trump publicly questioned whether the job was appropriate for her. Although he said he had encouraged her to reconsider remaining in the position, he also stated that the final decision would be hers. The subsequent accounts from The New York Times, CNN and dpa indicated that she was leaving the role, but the source material did not establish a precise departure date or provide details of any formal dismissal decision.
The episode leaves Zacharia’s tenure as press secretary among the briefest described in the source material, with her reported departure coming just one week after her appointment. Neither the precise timing of her exit nor any further arrangements for the position were specified in the reports provided.
