White House seeks new spokesperson as Katie Zacharia exits after five days

Katie Zacharia is leaving her post as White House press secretary just five days after starting, following a rocky first briefing and questions over her legal credentials; she thanked Trump on her way out.

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is leaving the job less than a week after starting. A senior administration official told Fox News she is “transitioning out,” while The New York Times, citing three sources, reported that Trump fired her.

Trump named Zacharia on Oct. 9 to replace Karoline Leavitt, who left in August. The White House must now look for a press secretary again and has not said who will brief reporters in the meantime. Sources told CBS News that Zacharia is expected to take another administration role soon.

The briefing and the diploma

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office

Zacharia’s only briefing, on Oct. 13, lasted about 15 minutes and took questions from just three outlets. She later told Fox host Sean Hannity that she received her briefing materials only that morning. The Pepperdine Law graduate also admitted failing the California bar exam in 2011 and said there was “a lot of misinformation” about how she had described herself.

On Friday afternoon, Trump signaled the end was near: “Honestly if I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it.” That evening, Zacharia wrote on social media that it “was an honor to work for him.”