The key facts
- Katie Zachariah leaves the White House press secretary post five days after appointment — NYT, AFP and other outlets
- Her first briefing lasted less than 15 minutes; Zachariah answered only three questions
- She admitted she never took the bar exam, though she had previously called herself a lawyer
Exit after five days in the post
White House press secretary Katie Zachariah is leaving her post just five days after her appointment, The New York Times and other US outlets reported on Friday. A White House official confirmed to AFP, on condition of anonymity, that Zachariah is 'transitioning' out of the role. Fox News reported that the 41-year-old Zachariah is 'stepping down from the post.' Several outlets, including The New York Times, wrote that she was fired, but Trump himself, according to Fox News, denied the firing, saying she had been 'harshly criticized by the media.' Zachariah replaced Karoline Leavitt, who had held the post from the start of Trump's second term until her resignation in August. The exit comes less than two and a half weeks before the midterm elections on November 3.
A failed first briefing
Zachariah's first briefing on Tuesday lasted less than 15 minutes. She began with a slow recitation of Trump's achievements and then answered only three questions from journalists. That same day, the White House website wrote that Zachariah 'confidently conducted her first briefing as the 37th White House press secretary.' According to the BBC, it was the failed performance and questions about her legal past that effectively sealed her fate. Subsequent media appearances, including an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on Thursday, which Trump said he watched, did not improve the situation. The BBC notes that Zachariah set the modern record for the shortest tenure as White House press secretary. Anthony Scaramucci, whose tenure as communications director during Trump's first term lasted 11 days, wrote on X: 'Records are made to be broken. But I take no joy in someone else's pain.'
The legal credentials scandal
Zachariah, previously a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax and an adviser to Trump Media and Technology, had long called herself a lawyer. She received a law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, but neither she nor the White House provided proof of passing the bar exam in any US state, or in China, where, according to her LinkedIn profile, she worked at the firm Zhong Lun in Beijing from 2011 to 2013. On Thursday, Zachariah admitted in an interview with Sean Hannity that she had not taken the exam: 'I never intended to practice law,' she said. In an interview with the pro-Trump channel Real America's Voice, she explained that she had registered for the exam but was 'distracted and overwhelmed' by plans to move to China with her husband, and that 'many people in this field' told her that with a law degree one could 'call oneself a lawyer.'
Trump's reaction and context
On Friday, Trump told journalists about his conversation with Zachariah: 'I told her: I think you need to be happy, and I'm not sure you can be happy in this job. I told her honestly: If I were in your place, I would reconsider.' He also added that the job may 'not be for her,' and told Fox News that he is 'in no hurry' to find a new press secretary. According to the BBC, the exit comes amid a difficult period for Republicans ahead of the elections and a string of scandals around the White House, including the resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. It is also noted that on Thursday Zachariah sparked a new wave of criticism with dismissive remarks about China; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded that Zachariah should 'visit China more often.'
