White House Press Secretary Fired After Just Five Working Days
The White House press secretary role has once again drawn attention. Just days after being appointed, Katie Zacharia was officially dismissed as US President Donald Trump’s chief spokesperson.
Two White House officials confirmed that Zacharia had been “let go” and was in the process of transitioning out. The swift decision followed controversy over her legal credentials and what was regarded as an underwhelming performance leading press briefings and media interviews, Reuters reported on Saturday (17 October 2026).
The abrupt dismissal leaves Trump without his main spokesperson at a critical moment, just two weeks before November’s midterm elections. The vote is a major test for Trump, who has been promoting his administration’s record in an effort to help the Republican Party retain control of Congress.
Before the dismissal was announced, Trump had indicated to reporters that he had asked Zacharia to reconsider the role, following intense media scrutiny during her first days on the job.
“I told her: ‘I think you’d be happier [outside], and I’m not sure you can be happy doing this job. There’s nothing easy about this job,’” Trump told reporters before setting off on a weekend trip. “I honestly said, ‘If I were you, I’d think about it again … but it’s your decision,’” he added.
Zacharia, who replaced Karoline Leavitt, began work on Monday and led her first White House press briefing on Tuesday. Her position was immediately shaken by allegations that she had misrepresented her professional background.
Zacharia and Trump had previously claimed she had worked as a practising lawyer. “I run an international transactional law practice with all the appropriate credentials,” Zacharia said in an official statement on Wednesday.
However, a Reuters search found no official records showing that the Pepperdine University law graduate was admitted to practise or was a member of the bar in any US state. In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Zacharia acknowledged that she had not passed the bar exam. In the US, practising law without a licence is prohibited.
Trump appointed Zacharia because he was dissatisfied with media coverage of his administration and wanted an assertive spokesperson who could amplify its achievements to the public. But after the troubled start, the president said he was in no rush to find a replacement.
The sudden dismissal makes Zacharia the shortest-serving White House press secretary in US history.
The episode also prompted a response from Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director during Trump’s first administration and previously held the record, with a tenure of just 10 days.
“Records are made to be broken. But this time I take no pleasure whatsoever in someone else’s misfortune,” Scaramucci wrote on his official X account.