Katie Zacharia Leaves White House Press Secretary Role

Katie Zacharia left her role as White House press secretary on October 16, after five days in the post, as President Donald Trump said he had urged her to reconsider staying. A senior White House official confirmed that she was transitioning out, but available statements do not establish whether she resigned, was dismissed or agreed to leave. Trump told reporters that Zacharia had been treated unfairly and might be happier in another role. He said he would let her make the decision and indicated she could remain in his administration in some capacity. The White House had not confirmed a new position for her in the accounts reviewed. Zacharia praised Trump in a social media post after her departure, describing him as kind and hardworking and saying it had been an honor to work for him. She also told the Wall Street Journal that she had done everything she could to conduct a briefing with limited time and information. Her departure came after a first and only press briefing on October 13, which lasted about 14 minutes and included questions from three reporters, according to reports. The short tenure followed scrutiny of Zacharia’s performance and professional credentials. Trump...