Katie Zacharia was in the middle of an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday when a knock at her West Wing door effectively ended her five days as White House press secretary, the paper reported.
She was behind her new desk, in an office with few personal touches, when senior adviser Jason Miller stuck his head in.
“JD wanted to chat with us real quick,” Miller said, referring to the vice president.
Zacharia walked out and didn’t return. At the same moment, President Trump was at his new helipad telling reporters about a talk he’d had with her earlier. He said he’d asked whether she needed the job.
“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” Trump said.
Earlier that day, Zacharia had sounded steady, telling the Journal that no staff changes were planned and that she wanted the team to stay unified. By the time her ouster became public, under an hour had passed.
Her short run was bumpy. Her first briefing lasted less than 15 minutes and was criticized by people across the political spectrum. So was her answer to a question about where she passed the bar exam, and the Journal later reported she never did. Two Fox interviews went poorly as well, with Sean Hannity saying her performance had been “widely panned.” Trump privately told aides she wasn’t talented, a person who heard him said.
Zacharia said she found out she’d be briefing only shortly before Trump announced it, leaving her under a day to prepare, but she didn’t fault the White House.
“I’m not going to blame the White House—no,” she said.
Allies said she was set up to fail with little support in the West Wing. A White House official dismissed “breathless speculation,” praised her as talented and said she’ll continue backing Trump in a new role.
Reached that evening, Zacharia said she’d done all she could to prepare given the little time and information she had.
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