Katie Zacharia addressed her ousting from the White House Friday evening, sharing only praise for President Donald Trump after serving as his press secretary for a mere five days.
“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic and hardworking man,” she wrote on X Friday evening. “I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.”
She added: “It was an honor to work for him.”
Zacharia, who was first announced as Karoline Leavitt’s replacement last week, expressed a similar sentiment in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. “I did everything in my power to effectuate a briefing in the limited time and information I had,” she told the outlet following her departure from the White House. “My goal was to serve President Trump and the American people to the best of my ability.”
Zacharia’s dismissal came hours after Trump had urged his new press secretary to “reconsider” the opportunity after a sordid first week at the podium, according to initial reporting from The New York Times. Fox News then separately confirmed with a senior White House official that the conservative political pundit was “transitioning out” of the role after holding her first press conference to much scrutiny on Tuesday.
It marks a record speed for a press secretary to exit the post after Trump’s first term saw Anthony Scaramucci fired after just 11 days in 2017.
Zacharia attempted to course correct her rocky first week on the job, appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity” Thursday evening, where she defended that she had “really stepped up” despite the fast onboarding process.
“I got a phone call last Wednesday. I flew out to D.C. on Thursday. I had a meeting on Friday, was offered the job. Flew home to California on Saturday. Flew back to Washington on Sunday. Was asked to start on Monday, Sean, which is Columbus Day,” she told host Sean Hannity at the time. “And so, it’s a federal holiday. And have a press briefing at 9:30 in the morning on Tuesday. So, what I feel is that I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference, Sean, with very little prep time.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Zacharia stood by her decision to conclude her first press conference at the 14-minute mark. “And then, as I should’ve, I ended conference and I left,” she said. “Given the fact that I had been on the job less than, maybe, eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I really did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day.”
She also attempted to address the scrutiny surrounding her credentials. Zacharia – who has repeatedly been referred to as an “attorney” – shared that she had practiced international transactional law with appropriate credentials, but acknowledged that she did not pass the California bar exam.
“When I went to engage in media and give legal analysis … I wasn’t being paid for legal advice,” she defended. “I was giving a general review of the legal circumstances surrounding it.”
However, Zacharia’s “Hannity” appearance did little to right the ship, with the Wall Street Journal reporting Friday that the president told aides she “wasn’t talented” in the aftermath of that disastrous interview and others.
