White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Out After Five Days
Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after five days in the job.
She was fired on Friday, October 16, 2026, according to three people familiar with the matter, and a White House official said she was "let go" from the role. President Donald Trump said he had advised Zacharia to reconsider remaining as press secretary. Reuters
Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt in the post, serving as the 37th White House press secretary. She had served as Senior Communications Advisor to Truth Social, the social media company associated with Trump, before the appointment. Trump had announced she would begin her term as press secretary on Columbus Day.
She held her first press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, where the White House press secretary speaks to reporters on behalf of the administration, on October 13, 2026. Her departure came after scrutiny of what was described as a shaky first news briefing. NBC News
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University law school in California. In a Fox News interview on Thursday, she said she did not pass the bar exam, the licensing test required to practice law. Al Jazeera
At five days, her tenure was shorter than that of Anthony Scaramucci, who served 10 days as director of communications during Trump's first administration.
