Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after five days on the job, officials confirmed on Friday.
The lawyer-ish-person-turned-White House spokesperson had a rocky debut at the podium on Tuesday, during which she stumbled over prepared remarks and later raised eyebrows after she told a reporter that she passed the bar in China.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he told Zacharia to reconsider the role. Later that day, a White House official told Business Insider that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the position.
By standards of the Trump White House, which had a notorious revolving door during the first go-round, that’s pretty short.
There are a lot of other things that lasted longer than Zacharia’s tenure. Here are 10 of them.
Anthony Scaramucci as White House comms director: 10 days
Scaramucci’s firing in July 2017 became a spectacle, not least in part because of his notably short tenure.
First came a profanity-laced call to a New Yorker reporter, in which Scaramucci badmouthed some of his colleagues in the White House. Then came John F. Kelly, laying down the law in the West Wing by firing Scaramucci and making an example of him on his first day on the job as chief of staff.
Sally Yates as acting attorney general: 10 days
Sally Yates lasted exactly One Mooch.
Yates was a holdover from the second Obama Administration, taking on the AG role after Loretta Lynch stepped down at Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
Her position as attorney general was expected to be short. Still, acting AGs from the previous administration typically held on to their roles until the incoming president picked a new attorney general, who would then be confirmed by the Senate.
Yates was fired after she told the Justice Department not to defend Trump’s first travel-ban executive order.
Jerald TerHorst as WH press secretary: 31 days
After Zacharia, TerHorst takes the record for the second shortest-serving White House press secretary.
TerHorst served under President Gerald Ford from August 9, 1974, to September 8, 1974. He resigned in protest after Ford granted Richard Nixon a full pardon.
Liz Truss as Britain’s prime minister: 49 days
An opinion piece in The Economist quipped that Truss’ premiership will have the “shelf-life of a lettuce.”
The comment came after Truss’s economic package immediately unnerved investors, sending the pound and government-bond markets spiraling.
Thus, the lettuce meme was born. On October 14, 2022, Daily Star, a tabloid newspaper, was inspired by The Economist’s comment and set up a livestream of a lettuce wearing a wig: “Will Liz Truss outlast this lettuce?”
She didn’t. Truss resigned six days later. She was the PM from September 6 to October 25, 2022.
A hard-boiled egg in the fridge: 7 days
Keeping in theme with the foods that last longer than political positions: The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says a hard-boiled egg can be stored in the fridge for up to seven days.
Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England: 9 days
Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen on July 10, 1553, but her half-sister, Mary — the eldest daughter of Henry VIII — gathered enough political support to overthrow her. Mary would claim the crown on July 19, 1553.
Grey became known as the “Nine Days Queen” and was executed by beheading in 1554.
Apollo 11: 8 days
The Apollo 11 crew spent more time in space than Zacharia did as the press secretary: 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, and 35 seconds to be exact.
We can dig in more. Zacharia’s first press briefing lasted about 14 minutes, according to recordings. Neil Armstrong spent more time walking on the moon: 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 37 seconds, a NASA report said. Buzz Aldrin was on the moon for about 40 minutes less, according to the report.
Six-Day War: You can guess
The 1967 conflict between Israel and neighboring Arab states was so short that its duration became its namesake. The war lasted from June 5 to June 10, 1967.
Apple TV+ free trial: 7 days
You have more time to binge-watch “Severance” or “Ted Lasso” on Apple TV than Zacharia had time in the White House.
Maybe we shouldn’t point this out unless we want Apple to realize there are shorter things than the company’s free-trial policy.
Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Kris Humphries: 72 days
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian married NBA player Kris Humphries on August 20, 2011. She filed for divorce on October 31, 2011.
To be fair, this may still be more of a reflection on Kardashian than on Zacharia. You would hope a marriage lasts longer than five days, right? Then again, this is the longest thing on the list, so you go, Kim!
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