Katie Zacharia Removed From White House Press Secretary Position

Katie Zacharia has been removed from the White House Press Secretary position after five days.

The Details: A White House official announced on Friday that Zacharia had been "let go" and later that she was "transitioning" out of the position. President Trump told reporters he'd suggested she reconsider the job following public scrutiny, reportedly telling Zacharia, "I'm not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff. There's nothing easy about this stuff." Zacharia was announced as press secretary on Oct. 12 and held her first briefing on Oct. 13.

For Context: According to Reuters (Center bias), Zacharia received a call about the press secretary role on Oct. 7 and was offered the job on Oct. 9. She was set to succeed Karoline Leavitt. Zacharia was previously pressed by reporters on her legal background. On Thursday, Wall Street Journal (Center) published an exclusive report that Zacharia didn't pass the bar exam despite referring to herself as a lawyer in public appearances.

'1/11th of a Scaramucci': The Hill (Center) highlighted social media commentary that compared Zacharia to Anthony Scaramucci, who served as press secretary for 11 days during Trump's first term. It shared Scaramucci's X post saying, "Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people's pain." The Hill also shared posts from users who joked about whether Zacharia would last "one Scaramucci" after her first press briefing on Tuesday was "heavily scrutinized." Scaramucci had also wrote on X earlier this week, "The clock is running. Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci."

Republican Skepticism: CNN (Lean Left) wrote, "White House press secretary Katie Zacharia's first week was all about Katie Zacharia, when the role should have been about the president and his agenda." The outlet said a "pair of tough Fox News interviews foreshadowed Zacharia's change in fortune," as the questions "reflected serious skepticism about Zacharia's ability to represent the president going forward." CNN described Zacharia being "on the defensive" and said Fox News (Right) host Sean Hannity (Right) "sounded like he was belatedly vetting Zacharia for the job — unintentionally highlighting Trump's lack of vetting."

In Defense of Zacharia: Breitbart (Right) focused on the White House's suggestions that the move was to protect Zacharia. It highlighted quotes from Trump that Zacharia had "been treated very badly by the media…she's been treated very rough." Breitbart also quoted Trump saying, "She's a nice person, very nice person. I've watched her for years on television. But, I said, 'Is this for you Katie? Because honestly, you don't need this.'" It noted Hannity's interview with Zacharia, but emphasized internal praise among the Trump administration for her.

'Fired' vs 'Let Go': In their headlines, outlets on the left more often said Zacharia had been "fired" compared to outlets on the right, which used the White House's phrasing that she'd been "let go" or was "transitioning out."

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