White House press secretary Zacharia fired in less than a week after facing criticism

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was pushed out on Friday after less than a week in the job, following a series of blunders that added to distractions for President Donald Trump.

A White House official confirmed her departure to AFP.

Why did Katie Zacharia leave the White House press secretary job?

Her exit followed three controversies. She had described herself as a lawyer despite failing the bar exam, her only press briefing lasted less than 15 minutes and was much mocked, and she disparaged China in an interview. A White House official confirmed her departure to AFP.

“Can confirm,” the official told AFP, after Fox News reported that Zacharia, 41, was “transitioning out.” The writing was on the wall earlier, when Trump made clear he was ready to see his newly minted spokeswoman go.

Critics said she had pretended to be a lawyer, and her one press briefing was widely mocked. “I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?,’” Trump told reporters. “I said, ‘Katie, you don’t have to do this’...I said to her, ‘Honestly if I were you I’d reconsider.’”

How long did Katie Zacharia last compared with Anthony Scaramucci?

During Trump’s first term in office, the 11-day tenure of financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director was widely mocked for its brevity, and even became an internet meme. Zacharia lasted less than half that long.

“Records are made to be broken,” Scaramucci wrote on X, adding: “But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”

She took over the role from the combative Karoline Leavitt, who helped Trump reshape White House coverage by bringing in more friendly outlets and fiercely attacking critical media.

What happened at Katie Zacharia’s first press briefing?

Zacharia got off to a rocky start with her debut press room briefing on Tuesday morning. It lasted less than 15 minutes, beginning with a remarkably slow reading out of what she said were Trump’s many accomplishments, then taking just three questions from journalists.

She was then plunged into controversy when it emerged that her previous claims to be a lawyer were not true.

The kerfuffle is a distraction for 80-year-old Trump as he flies around the country trying to boost Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 congressional midterm elections, with polls predicting a drubbing. The Republican leader himself also faces ever-lower polls as Americans sour over the war against Iran, inflation and perceptions of corruption.

Did Katie Zacharia fail the bar exam?

Zacharia had described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit. While she does have a law degree from a California university, she acknowledged Thursday she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practising law in the United States.

She embarked on a series of damage-control interviews on Trump-friendly outlets, but they did no good. In one of them, Fox News’ Sean Hannity, a close Trump ally, appeared dismissive of Zacharia. He asked the press secretary if she ever retook the bar exam. She replied: “I did not.”

“It was never my intent to go into the practice of law,” she said.

In another interview Thursday with pro-Trump outlet Real America’s Voice, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was “distracted and overwhelmed” by plans to move to China with her husband. She said “many people in the field” had assured her that she could “label myself a lawyer,” given her law degree.

“Fox and Friends,” which often conducts friendly interviews with Trump administration officials, was unusually direct Friday when a host asked Zacharia if she still had the confidence of the president. “I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me,” she said, sidestepping the question.

What did Katie Zacharia say about China?

Zacharia further stirred controversy on Thursday when she disparaged China, whose leader Xi Jinping was recently Trump’s guest in a pomp-filled Washington visit. The press secretary recalled the perception in 2016 was that China would soon overtake the United States.

“I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, ‘How is China the next country on the horizon? They don’t even have proper toilets,’” she told right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec in an interview.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded Friday that Zacharia should “visit China more often.”