White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is leaving her position after only a few days in the role, following public scrutiny over her professional background and questions surrounding her qualifications.
A White House official confirmed on Friday that Zacharia had been “let go” from the position, shortly after US President Donald Trump revealed that he had advised her to reconsider the job.
Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, Trump said he had expressed concerns about the pressure associated with the position and encouraged Zacharia to think carefully about whether she wanted to continue.
“I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff,” Trump said, describing his conversation with her.
He added that he had advised her to reconsider the position, noting that working in the White House could be difficult.
The development comes less than a week after Zacharia took over as press secretary, succeeding Karoline Leavitt. She began the job on Monday and held her first White House press briefing the following day.
Zacharia had previously explained that she received a call about the position on Wednesday of the previous week before being formally offered the job on Friday.
However, her brief time in office was overshadowed by questions about her legal qualifications. Trump had described her as an attorney when announcing her appointment, but concerns emerged over whether she had passed the bar examination required to practise law in the United States.
During an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Zacharia admitted that she had not passed the bar exam.
She earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in California in 2011, but a law degree alone does not qualify graduates to practise law in the United States without meeting the relevant licensing requirements.
Her departure follows criticism surrounding her first press briefing, which lasted less than 15 minutes and involved questions from just three reporters.
Although Trump initially defended her performance, the controversy surrounding her background and his subsequent advice to reconsider the position have now been followed by confirmation that she is leaving the role.
Zacharia’s short tenure adds to the history of brief service in Trump’s first administration. Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director during Trump’s first term, held the position for just 10 days.
