Zacharia’s White House tenure ends after seven days

Katie Zacharia’s tenure as White House press secretary ended Friday, October 16, after seven days, but accounts differed on whether she was fired or was leaving after being urged to reconsider the role. A senior White House official said Zacharia was transitioning out, and a source familiar with the matter confirmed she was leaving. Separately, The New York Times reported, citing three people familiar with the matter, that she had been fired. President Donald Trump said he had urged her to reconsider but would leave the decision to her. The available accounts do not establish who initiated her departure. Trump told reporters that Zacharia had been treated unfairly and said the press secretary’s job might not suit her. He described their conversation as an invitation to consider whether she wanted to continue, rather than confirming that he had dismissed her. Her exit followed scrutiny of her debut briefing and questions about her legal credentials. Zacharia’s first briefing, on October 13, lasted 14 minutes and included three questions, according to reports. In interviews before her departure, she attributed the short session and her performance to limited preparation time....