{"id":935544,"date":"2026-10-16T19:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T19:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/935544\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T19:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T19:44:11","slug":"trump-fires-katie-zacharia-as-white-house-press-secretary-after-five-days-advisers-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/935544\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump fires Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary after five days, advisers say"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb82via002x2ens798lc3h3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            President Donald Trump has fired Katie Zacharia as press secretary, advisers to the president said, ending her turbulent week-long stint as the White House\u2019s top spokesperson.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb91nkh001t3b6rjbq8kb4q@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump told reporters earlier he had asked Zacharia to reconsider her role, all but declaring her brief tenure in the job over.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb886mz00033b6rvv7wdb9b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cHonestly, if I were you, I\u2019d reconsider,\u201d Trump said he told Zacharia on Friday morning.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb886n000043b6rnvg1nkie@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He said they would speak when he returned to the White House and he would leave the decision to her. But he did not sound particularly encouraging of his embattled press secretary.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb886n000053b6rr0bg2uze@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cKatie, do you need this?\u201d he said he told her. \u201cI don\u2019t think you need this.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb8hifh000a3b6rys9g3ohg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            It was a remarkable vote of no confidence in Zacharia, who entered the job a week ago. Her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/10\/13\/politics\/katie-zacharia-press-briefing\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shaky debut in the briefing room<\/a> on Tuesday and persistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/10\/15\/politics\/katie-zacharia-attorney-posts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">questions about her background<\/a> had led to immense scrutiny from the media and fellow Trump aides. A White House official told CNN that Zacharia was \u201ctransitioning out\u201d of the press secretary role, and a Trump adviser said she\u2019d be leaving the White House in the next few days.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb8jhhk000p3b6ry1kezq6w@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Speaking as he was leaving the White House for a political rally in Georgia, Trump said Zacharia had been mistreated by the media and praised her as a loyal supporter.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb8jzyr000r3b6riss6gnpr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But he made clear he did not believe Zacharia was suited to speak on his behalf as the government\u2019s top spokesperson.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb8ksc7000x3b6rv378ixoy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cMaybe it\u2019s not for her,\u201d he conceded.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvba3cuo000x3b6rgid19cfh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A source close to the president told CNN that Trump still respects and likes Zacharia as a person, insisting the way Trump described the conversation with Zacharia was accurate.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvba3ewj000z3b6rvxuvpqyy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            That source and another also said that Zacharia and her family are having dinner with Vice President JD Vance and his family Friday night at the vice president\u2019s residence, a signal that the administration still holds her in high regard.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb8xinj00133b6rbst46uzc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Zacharia had captured Trump\u2019s attention as a conservative commentator on television, and her hiring occurred quickly after other candidates were deemed ineligible because of critical comments they made about Trump.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb8zvzc001g3b6ri32w6l3m@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Her inexperience was revealed quickly, however. At the White House lectern on Tuesday, she appeared nervous and only took three questions. Later in the day, she offered a confusing answer to a question about where she had passed her bar exam, since she\u2019d been described by Trump as an \u201cattorney\u201d when he announced her hiring.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb9hhiz002h3b6rcvp25scl@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            As it turned out, she had never passed the bar exam, she explained in a series of surprisingly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/10\/16\/media\/katie-zacharia-trump-hannity-fox-white-house-press-secretary\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">tense interviews on Fox News<\/a>. And she was vague about whether she would appear again in the briefing room.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb9ny2d00353b6r8yopttd5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            It all led to deepening questions inside the White House about how long Zacharia could possibly last in the job.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvba90hb001q3b6rvorkhi88@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump did not initially think Zacharia\u2019s performance at her first press briefing was as bad as some of his advisers had, two sources familiar with the discussions said. However, her interviews that followed \u2014 specifically her Thursday night appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity \u2014 and conversations he subsequently had with his allies convinced him that it was untenable for her to remain in the role, they added.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvba8txt001n3b6r3574e89r@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Trump remarked to allies and advisers this week that perhaps she \u201cwasn\u2019t ready for prime time,\u201d one person with direct knowledge of his comments told CNN.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb9lzhn002s3b6ri1t25g6h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Her five-day-long tenure ultimately came in shorter than that of Anthony Scaramucci, whose 11-day tenure as White House communications director in 2017 is now used as a measuring stick for the relative longevity of embattled White House officials.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmvb8bg8600003b6rftoftp1y@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            This is a developing story and will be updated.\n    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump has fired Katie Zacharia as press secretary, advisers to the president said, ending her turbulent&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":935545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-935544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/935545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}