In brief
Katie Zacharia left her post as White House press secretary on Friday, less than five days after taking office. President Donald Trump offered her a choice and urged her to reconsider before the media backlash. The resignation follows questions about her bar‑exam status and a nervous inaugural briefing that drew criticism from Donald Trump, Fox News host Sean Hannity, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. The flip‑flop comes as the nation heads into a November mid‑term election where Democrats are using the episode to highlight what they say is a failing Republican White House.
Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia left her post on Friday, less than five days after being sworn in, as a result of mounting criticism over her brief first briefing and questions about her legal qualifications.
President Donald Trump told reporters that he had given Zacharia a choice, saying he did not want her to “do this if you don’t want to” and that she should “reconsider.” Trump later said the media had treated her “pretty nastily.”
The controversy began when Zacharia’s inaugural briefing lasted just 14 minutes, offered only a handful of answers, and included a nervous actress‑type reading from a talking‑point sheet.
When a reporter asked about her bar‑exam status, she replied, “When I was in China,” prompting further scrutiny. She later admitted she had not passed the bar, though she claimed to have practiced international transaction law abroad with “appropriate credentials.”
Critics on and off the air including Fox News host Sean Hannity and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci criticized the hire as unprepared.
The split comes as the nation heads into a November mid‑term auction for Congress, with Democrats using the incident to highlight what they say is a failing White House. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tweeted, “The White House Press Secretary is gone. MAGA extremists continue to fall apart.”
