Embattled new White House Press Secretary Zacharia 'let go' from her role
France 24 · LC · trust 63/100
A White House Press official said Friday that Secretary Katie Zacharia was "let go" from her role after US President Donald Trump signaled she was on her way out, a week after he picked her for the post. Zacharia's credentials as an attorney had come under scrutiny and she admitted to not having passed the bar in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.
By: FRANCE 24 FILE - White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia stands behind US President Donald Trump as he departs the White House in Washington, DC on October 13, 2026. © Kevin Lamarque, Reuters White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was "let go" from the role, a White House official said on Friday, after US President Donald Trump said he had told her to reconsider the job following public scrutiny.
"I told her: 'I think you're better off being happy, and I'm not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.' There's nothing easy about this stuff," Trump told reporters while departing the White House.
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Zacharia was "transitioning" out of the role of press secretary. Zacharia started the job on Monday and held her debut White House briefing on Tuesday.
She had said she received a call about the role of press secretary last Wednesday and got offered the job to succeed Karoline Leavitt last Friday.
Trump later announced her appointment. In his announcement, he described her as an attorney.
Over the last week, the issue of whether Zacharia, a graduate of California 's Pepperdine University law school, had actually passed the bar – making her an attorney – came under fire.
During a Fox News interview on Thursday, Zacharia said she did not pass the bar.
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