After a turbulent five days in the role, Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary, two White House officials familiar with her departure told MS NOW on Friday. The sources were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

It was not immediately clear whether Zacharia resigned or was fired. On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters that he told Zacharia to “reconsider” her role.

Zacharia delivered her first and only press briefing on Tuesday, which lasted just over 14 minutes. She took just three questions — from right-wing outlets Breitbart and Fox News and the tabloid the Daily Mail — and failed to answer the first policy question she was asked. Democrats mocked her performance shortly thereafter, and although some right-wing commentators defended her, two White House officials conceded to MS NOW that her debut at the podium was weak.

Zacharia defended her performance in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday, telling him she had “very little prep time.” But she faced additional tough questions in an interview with “Fox and Friends” on Friday morning, when the hosts asked if she thought she still had the confidence of the president. She replied, “I’m standing here, and I was able to travel with him … and I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me.”

In the days after her appointment, questions swirled about her past experience, including her past references to being a lawyer. Though she obtained a law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, she said this week that she did not pass the bar exam. She said she did not intend to mislead about her legal credentials, telling Real America’s Voice that it was a “miscommunication.” In the Friday morning Fox interview, Zacharia said she was not asked about her legal education during her interview process because it was not relevant to the job.

Responding to a reporter on Friday who asked if he wanted Zacharia to “stick around ultimately,” Trump said he planned to talk to her when he returned to the White House from Georgia.

“I just said, ‘I think you should reconsider because I think the press is really being very unfair,’” he said.

Trump announced Zacharia as his new press secretary on Oct. 9, filling a vacancy left by Karoline Leavitt, who departed in August to spend more time with her two young children.

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who was fired after just 11 days in the role during Trump’s first administration, posted on X following the news of Zacharia’s departure: “Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”

Zacharia and her family are scheduled to have dinner with Vice President JD Vance and his family at the VP’s residence on Friday, according to a source familiar with the plans. The source, who was given anonymity to speak on a personnel matter, said there is still warmth for Zacharia within the Trump administration.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Julianne McShane, Eugene Daniels and Vaughn Hillyard contributed to this report.

The post Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after just 5 days appeared first on MS NOW.

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From MS Now.