Donald Trump’s press secretary, Katie Zacharia, has spoken publicly after leaving the role just five days after taking it on.
In an Instagram post, Zacharia praised the president, writing: “President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man.
“I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him.”
A senior White House official told the Daily Mail on Friday that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the position.
Before joining the White House, Zacharia worked in communications at Trump Media, the company that operates the president’s social media platform, Truth Social.
She also held a brief communications role at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s second administration.
Her White House tenure was marked by questions about her professional background, as well as criticism over her lack of polish when responding to questions from journalists.
Earlier, Trump told reporters at the White House that he had asked Zacharia to consider stepping down.
The 41-year-old Zacharia was summoned to meet Trump on Friday. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” the president told her. “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.”
A senior White House official told the Daily Mail that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the position on Friday.
“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Trump said he told Zacharia. “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.”
“Maybe it’s not for her,” Trump added. Asked whether he would fire her, he replied: “No, I want her to have a good life.”
Zacharia’s time as press secretary was even shorter than Anthony Scaramucci’s famously brief 11-day stint as White House communications director in 2017.
Earlier this year, she had lasted only six weeks as a communications adviser at the Department of Homeland Security.
A source close to Zacharia told the Daily Mail that she had effectively been set up to fail.
“Katie is a beautiful person who was brought into an incredibly tough situation with sharp knives from every direction. She was attacked by the left, the right, the media, and it seems like from nearly every room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” the source said.
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The insider also criticized Zacharia’s colleagues, accusing them of leaking disparaging remarks about her to the press.
“Instead of focusing on how to help her succeed, colleagues spent their time texting negative tear downs to the media.”
The source said Trump needed “a team that works together for the good of the administration and the party” ahead of the midterm elections, arguing that Zacharia’s experience demonstrated the opposite.
“What we’ve unfortunately witnessed is a window into the macro political GOP system—where purity tests and greed have destroyed a near perfect launch pad for decades of success, from within,” they said.
‘She had to learn this the hard way, but contrary to what international news has led people to believe all week – she’s smart, driven, kind and will be fine, and probably better off.’
Zacharia has been press secretary for less than five days. Her tenure has been rocky from the start after a 14-minute debut briefing drew criticism for her nervous stature.
Her debut briefing on Tuesday lasted just 14 minutes and allowed questions from only three reporters. Leavitt’s briefings averaged about 45 minutes.
Zacharia, a Pepperdine University law graduate, also faced criticism for describing herself as a lawyer when appearing as a commentator on conservative television outlets.
She said the term was a proper one to use when she was offering legal analysis, and said she had worked as a lawyer in China.
When reporters asked that day where she had passed the bar, Zacharia said she had passed it when she moved to China.
She later told the New York Times she hadn’t heard the question over the noise of Marine One.
Zacharia traveled with Trump when he held rallies on Wednesday and Thursday in Alaska, Arizona and Montana – but did not hold more press briefings.
In a tense interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night, she acknowledged that she failed the California bar exam in 2011, never retook it and considered the results inconsequential.
As the segment ended, she promised Hannity she would be very prepared going forward and would step up to the duty the President had given her.
Zacharia plans to have dinner with Vice President JD Vance and his family on Friday evening, according to another person with knowledge of the meal who was granted anonymity to disclose it.