Katie Zacharia, the Truth Social communications adviser and Fox/Newsmax fixture whom President Trump appointed on October 9 as his sixth White House press secretary, was fired Friday, barely a week after taking the job, the New York Times reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. Neither the White House nor Zacharia has commented.
Trump did not use the word fired. Speaking to reporters, he said he had urged her to “reconsider” and later added that he would “do whatever she wants.” He recounted telling her, “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” and added: “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.” Fox News reported she is “transitioning out.”
The firing makes her the fastest-fired Trump official, on top of the shortest-tenured press official.
Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) October 16, 2026
The firing also comes the day after a brutal Hannity interview.
😮 Katie Zacharia crashes and burns on [checks notes] Hannity 😮 If you had the “over” on Zacharia lasting more than one Scaramucci, her epic flame out on Hannity just now won’t help your cause HANNITY: You said you consulted with people who advised you it was okay to call yourself a lawyer but not an attorney, correct? ZACHARIA: Correct HANNITY: There’s a report out tonight showing 15 social media posts where you identify yourself as an attorney ZACHARIA: I think they were retweets Here’s the whole interview:
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 16, 2026
The week in review
- Oct. 9: Trump announces her on Truth Social, praising her as a “loyal and brilliant supporter” with an “unblemished record of support” and calling her “an attorney.” She had been senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group and had a brief earlier stint at DHS.
- Oct. 13: First (and only) briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. It ran roughly 14-15 minutes. She took questions from three outlets, read from notes, and used the podium to announce that Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle was being asked to resign amid reports that she pressed a donor to pay off a $100,000 credit card bill, allegations her lawyers deny. Reviews were mixed at best; the format was widely noted as unusually constrained.
- Oct. 14-15: Credential questions explode. Reports establish that Zacharia holds a J.D. from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law (2011) but failed the California bar exam and has no U.S. law license. She has long described herself as a “lawyer,” appeared as such on television, and shared posts identifying her as an “attorney.” Trump had called her one. When asked on the South Lawn where she had passed the bar, she replied (twice), “When I moved to China.” She later said she misheard the question amid Marine One noise and maintained that a law degree plus advice from others made “lawyer” acceptable. A watchdog group filed a complaint with the California State Bar. Legal experts generally rejected the lawyer/attorney distinction she drew.
- Oct. 16: Out.
Zacharia also told interviewers that the White House never asked whether she had passed the bar. She noted she was being hired as press secretary, not White House counsel.
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