Katie Zakaria’s tenure as White House press secretary lasted just five days, as she was removed from her post today, according to reports by major international media outlets—including The New York Times, the BBC, CNN, Axios, and others.
Her departure marks the shortest tenure of any White House press secretary in modern American history, following a week marked by questions about her professional qualifications, as well as intense criticism of her first press briefing.
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Donald Trump himself stated earlier today that he had advised Zakaria to reconsider her decision to take the position, due to the negative publicity her presence had generated. “The media was so hard on her. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it,” the U.S. president told reporters.
He continued: “I told her: Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d think twice about it. Think about it, but I’d think twice about it.” A senior White House official confirmed to Axios that Trump continues to hold a very positive opinion of Zakaria. “The president holds Katie in high regard, and what he told reporters is exactly what he told her in private,” the official noted.
Zacharia’s selection came as a surprise from the very beginning, when Trump announced her appointment on October 9 as the successor to Caroline Levitt. She officially took office on Monday, October 12, and held her first press briefing the following day. As it turned out, this was likely to be her only appearance at the White House podium.
According to an official who spoke to Axios, Zakaria appeared visibly anxious and nervous during the press conference, which left the U.S. president dissatisfied. However, her performance in front of the cameras wasn’t the only problem…
The issue with her legal credentials that “took Trump by surprise”
Trump was reportedly taken by surprise when he learned that Zakaria was not a licensed attorney, as he himself had presented her in a post on Truth Social when announcing her hiring. The issue took on even greater proportions following a Wall Street Journal report stating that Zakaria was not licensed to practice law in any U.S. state.
In an attempt to quell the backlash, she gave an interview to Fox News, admitting that she had failed the bar exam and never attempted to retake it, as she was planning to move to China. “I knew I would be living in China, so the outcome of the exams didn’t matter,” she explained, adding: “I took the exams because I didn’t want it to look like I had withdrawn from the process.”
However, according to Axios’s source, her explanations were not deemed satisfactory by Trump, a fact that further compromised her position.
The remark about restrooms in China that sparked backlash
On top of all this came a controversial statement she made about China, which sparked backlash. Speaking with conservative commentator Jack Posobiek, Zakaria referred to the period leading up to the 2016 presidential election, when, as she said, the prevailing view was that China would surpass the United States as a global superpower.
“I had just returned from China and was thinking: How can this possibly be the next rising power? They don’t even have proper toilets!” she remarked. Her statement drew a reaction from Beijing, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responding in a clearly sarcastic tone: “We welcome her to visit China more often, whenever she has the chance.”
How She Got the Job: The Role of Trump’s Personal Assistant
Zakaria’s hiring was solely Donald Trump’s decision, in which his personal assistant, Natalie Harp, also played a significant role. According to Axios, Zakaria traveled to Washington on Thursday, October 8, and entered the White House discreetly, without running into any acquaintances from the media or the government.
There, she had a very positive meeting with Trump, who offered her the position the next day, Friday, October 9. Contrary to other reports, the U.S. president had informed his White House chief of staff, Suzie Wiles, of his choice.
Wiles, who had not previously known Zakaria, raised no objections, as she considered the selection of a press secretary to be a highly personal decision for the president.
Trump initially wanted Maria Bartiromo; who else was considered?
Before settling on Zakaraya, Trump had considered offering the position to former Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, according to two administration officials. Bartiromo, however, had made it clear that she did not intend to accept the offer.
“She is no longer on the air, but she remains on Fox’s payroll, and taxpayers cannot compete with that kind of money,” one of the sources noted. Among those considered for the position was conservative political commentator Scott Jennings, though he ultimately did not receive a formal offer.
Zakaria’s arrival at the White House had caused concern among some staff members, who feared that the new press secretary planned to replace them. She attempted to reassure her colleagues, assuring them that she had no such intentions. Ultimately, her tenure in the administration proved to be extremely brief.
After just five days in the position, Zakaria is already being compared to the infamous tenure of Anthony Scaramucci, who served just 11 days as White House Communications Director during Trump’s first presidential term.
The Scaramucci case had become so well-known that his surname was unofficially established as a unit of measurement for the duration of an extremely short tenure, known as “a Scaramucci” (a Scaramucci).
Zaccaria, however, managed to stay in the White House even less time…
Despite her sudden departure, Zakaraya continues to maintain good personal relationships with top administration officials. A White House official told Axios that she and her family were scheduled to have dinner on Friday evening with the Vice President of the United States, Jay D. Vance, and his family.
“Sympathy for Katie is not limited to the president,” the official said.
Her dismissal, just five days after she took office, thus brings to a close an extremely brief chapter in Trump’s communications team, one marked by controversy, internal discontent, and revelations about her—likely nonexistent—professional
Source: Proto Thema
