The White House press secretary role has once again drawn attention.\nJust days after being appointed, Katie Zacharia was officially dismissed\nas US President Donald Trump\u2019s chief spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Two White House officials confirmed that Zacharia had been \u201clet go\u201d\nand was in the process of transitioning out. The swift decision followed\ncontroversy over her legal credentials and what was regarded as an\nunderwhelming performance leading press briefings and media interviews,\nReuters reported on Saturday (17 October 2026).<\/p>\n
The abrupt dismissal leaves Trump without his main spokesperson at a\ncritical moment, just two weeks before November\u2019s midterm elections. The\nvote is a major test for Trump, who has been promoting his\nadministration\u2019s record in an effort to help the Republican Party retain\ncontrol of Congress.<\/p>\n
Before the dismissal was announced, Trump had indicated to reporters\nthat he had asked Zacharia to reconsider the role, following intense\nmedia scrutiny during her first days on the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her: \u2018I think you\u2019d be happier [outside], and I\u2019m not sure\nyou can be happy doing this job. There\u2019s nothing easy about this job,\u2019\u201d\nTrump told reporters before setting off on a weekend trip. \u201cI honestly\nsaid, \u2018If I were you, I\u2019d think about it again \u2026 but it\u2019s your\ndecision,\u2019\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Zacharia, who replaced Karoline Leavitt, began work on Monday and led\nher first White House press briefing on Tuesday. Her position was\nimmediately shaken by allegations that she had misrepresented her\nprofessional background.<\/p>\n
Zacharia and Trump had previously claimed she had worked as a\npractising lawyer. \u201cI run an international transactional law practice\nwith all the appropriate credentials,\u201d Zacharia said in an official\nstatement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
However, a Reuters search found no official records showing that the\nPepperdine University law graduate was admitted to practise or was a\nmember of the bar in any US state. In an interview with Fox News on\nThursday, Zacharia acknowledged that she had not passed the bar exam. In\nthe US, practising law without a licence is prohibited.<\/p>\n
Trump appointed Zacharia because he was dissatisfied with media\ncoverage of his administration and wanted an assertive spokesperson who\ncould amplify its achievements to the public. But after the troubled\nstart, the president said he was in no rush to find a replacement.<\/p>\n
The sudden dismissal makes Zacharia the shortest-serving White House\npress secretary in US history.<\/p>\n
The episode also prompted a response from Anthony Scaramucci, who\nserved as White House communications director during Trump\u2019s first\nadministration and previously held the record, with a tenure of just 10\ndays.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords are made to be broken. But this time I take no pleasure\nwhatsoever in someone else\u2019s misfortune,\u201d Scaramucci wrote on his\nofficial X account.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/white-house-press-secretary-fired-after-just-five-working-days-1792201823", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }