Trump fires press secretary after less than a week, weeks before midterms

US President Donald Trump has lost his latest White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, after less than a week in the job, following a rocky start marked by questions over her legal credentials and criticism of her media appearances.

Reuters cited two White House officials said on Friday that Zacharia had been “let go” and was “transitioning out” of the position, making her tenure one of the shortest in the history of the role.

The departure leaves Trump without a key public messenger just over two weeks before November’s midterm elections, a crucial period in which he is seeking to promote his administration’s achievements and help Republicans retain control of Congress.

Trump told reporters earlier on Friday that he had urged Zacharia to reconsider whether to remain in the role after she faced difficult media scrutiny during her first days in office.

“I told her: ‘I think you're better off being happy, and I'm not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.’ There's nothing easy about this stuff,” he said as he left the White House for a weekend trip.

He added: “I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I'd reconsider... think about it. But I would reconsider.’”

Trump said he intended to revisit the conversation with Zacharia later.

Zacharia began the job on Monday and held her first White House press briefing the following day. She said she had received a call about the position on Oct 7 and was offered the job to succeed Karoline Leavitt about a week ago.

Questions soon emerged over her claims of having practised law. Trump had also described her as an attorney.

“I practised international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” Zacharia said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

However, Reuters said it could not find records showing that the Pepperdine University law school graduate was registered as an attorney or member of the bar in any US state or the District of Columbia.

In a Fox News interview on Thursday, Zacharia acknowledged that she had not passed the bar examination, which law graduates must pass, alongside other admission requirements, before they can practise law in the relevant US jurisdiction.

Neither Zacharia nor the White House immediately responded to an email seeking comment on her departure.

Trump hired Zacharia after expressing dissatisfaction with media coverage of his administration and wanting a spokesperson who could better communicate his achievements, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Speaking to Fox News by telephone on Friday, Trump said he was in no hurry to appoint a successor.

Zacharia’s swift departure is believed to mark the shortest tenure of any White House press secretary.

Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director for 10 days during Trump’s first administration, commented on the development on X.

“Records are made to be broken,” he wrote. “But I take no pleasure in other people's pain.” - October 17, 2026