White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is leaving her post just seven days after being appointed. A White House spokesperson confirmed that she is "transitioning out of the role," infohub.kz reports.
Her first appearance before reporters drew criticism. Zacharia was appointed on October 9 and held her first briefing just four days later, on October 13. It lasted only 14 minutes, during which she took questions from three journalists. The appearance was marked by verbal slips and raised questions about her professional preparedness.
On October 16, US President Donald Trump said he had advised Zacharia to reconsider her decision to take the job. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to... I think you should reconsider your decision," he said, relaying his words to the press secretary. Asked by reporters whether he had fired her, Trump said he had not. He added that he wanted Zacharia to "have a good life" and said the media had subjected her to harsh criticism.
In an interview with Fox News, Zacharia acknowledged that she had not passed the qualifying exam and did not hold a license to practice law in the United States. Trump had previously presented her as a lawyer.
Before her appointment, she served as senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social network. Zacharia had also spent about six weeks as a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security.
Late on Friday evening, she wrote on X that it had been an honor to work for Trump and expressed her support for the president.