WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Infinite Headlines) — President Donald Trump said on Oct. 16, 2026, that he had urged White House press secretary Katie Zacharia to reconsider the job. That day, three news organizations reported that her tenure had ended after five days, following scrutiny of her first briefing and legal credentials.
NBC News and Politico reported her departure, citing unnamed administration officials and people familiar with the decision. The New York Times described her as dismissed, citing three people knowledgeable about the situation. Trump publicly framed whether she would stay as her choice.
The short tenure involved two separate issues: her performance as the president’s spokesperson and questions about her descriptions of her legal work.
How did she get the job?
Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who left the press secretary’s post at the end of August, NBC News reported. Zacharia had worked as a conservative commentator and an adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, according to CNBC. USA Today also reported that she had previously worked for the Department of Homeland Security.
Zacharia described herself as a “hardline Trump supporter.” In his Truth Social announcement, Trump set her start date for Oct. 12 and scheduled an introductory news conference for Oct. 13 at 9:30 a.m. in the White House press briefing room.
The White House identified her as its 37th press secretary. The job involves speaking to reporters about the president’s agenda and answering questions about administration actions.
Zacharia said Trump “is his own best spokesperson and will absolutely be leading the way.” Describing her goal, she said: “I get to do what I was doing on the outside already, which was hoping to amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people.”
What happened at the first briefing?
The White House confirmed that Zacharia delivered her inaugural briefing on Oct. 13 in Washington and praised it as a strong introduction.
“I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people as the new White House Press Secretary,” Zacharia said.
She used the appearance to promote the administration’s record, including a claim that Trump was the first president in modern history to lower prescription drug prices and had delivered the biggest drop in 63 years.
Zacharia also announced that Trump had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, to resign.
The Associated Press reported that Zacharia took questions only briefly and mixed up the words “husband” and “president.” NBC News reported that she could not answer a question about whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
Accounts differed on the precise length and number of questions. AP put the briefing at 14 minutes, while Yahoo described it as 15 minutes and NBC as less than 15. Politico reported three questions; AP reported three questioners and an additional question answered as she left.
An unnamed White House official criticized her performance to MS NOW, saying she “needs to get much better fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record.” The comparison referred to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, whose short tenure was used as a benchmark in coverage.
Why did her legal credentials draw scrutiny?
NBC News and Politico reported that Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine Law. The questions about her credentials centered on whether she had passed a bar examination and was licensed to practice law.
On Oct. 15, a senior administration official confirmed that she had not passed the California bar exam, NBC News reported. Zacharia also acknowledged not passing it, explaining that she was preparing to marry and move to China. She described herself during that period as “incredibly distracted and overwhelmed and excited.”
NBC News reported that its review found no evidence she was licensed to practice law in any state. Separately, Judd Legum of Popular Information found that Fox News had identified her as a lawyer at least 18 times and that there was no evidence she had passed any state’s bar exam, according to People’s account of his review.
Those findings concern different credentials: graduating from law school is not the same as passing a bar exam or holding a license to practice.
Zacharia told NewsNation that she had “practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.” BBC reported that the White House defended her legal credentials.
Did Trump fire her?
The departure reports used different descriptions, and Trump’s public remarks did not describe a dismissal.
NBC News reported that Zacharia was out after five days, citing a senior administration official, another administration official and a person familiar with the decision. Politico independently reported that she was no longer press secretary, citing two White House officials and another person familiar with the matter. The Times reported that she had been dismissed Friday, Oct. 16.
Speaking to reporters that day, Trump said he had suggested she reconsider continuing. He described the media’s treatment of her as “very rough” and said she had been treated “nastily.”
“I said, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,’” Trump said of his advice to Zacharia. Asked whether he would keep her in the role, he said: “I’m going to let her make that decision.”
