New White House Press Secretary Katia Zaharia is reportedly leaving her post just five days after her appointment. This is reported by The New York Times, citing three sources familiar with the situation. The publication notes that the dismissal decision was made on Friday, though it had not been officially announced at the time of publication, and representatives of the White House and Zaharia herself did not respond to journalists' requests. According to the NYT, the key reasons were a disastrous first press briefing and controversies surrounding how Zaharia presented her legal career.
Five Days on the Job
Zaharia's tenure in office turned out to be one of the shortest in the modern history of the White House press office. Her first and, reportedly, only briefing as press secretary took place on Wednesday and lasted about 14 minutes. According to The New York Times, for the first eight minutes, the new representative mostly read from a prepared script, and the briefing concluded after just the third reporter's question. According to the publication's sources, this very performance triggered a reassessment of her standing in the president's team.
Disastrous Debut and Qualification Scandal
The briefing was followed by a flurry of headlines stating that critics believed Zaharia falsely presented herself as a lawyer, despite not having passed the bar exam. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, referred to her as a lawyer, which further fueled the discussion. Earlier, according to Ukrainian media, Zaharia also failed to give a clear answer at the briefing regarding whether the US had stopped transferring intelligence to Ukraine, increasing pressure on her from the press.
Trump's Stance
On Friday, Donald Trump told reporters that he had spoken with Zaharia and urged her to "reconsider" her decision. "Honestly, if I were you, I would reconsider my decision," he recounted of their conversation. According to him, he also asked: "Katia, do you need this? I don't think you need this." Trump added that Zaharia might continue working for him "in some form, but perhaps in a more pleasant one," and emphasized that a final decision would be made later, after his trips conclude.
Context of Personnel Changes
Zaharia's departure comes against the backdrop of other changes in the press office. It was previously reported that current White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her post at the end of August due to the birth of a child, while not entirely leaving the president's team. Thus, Zaharia's appointment and rapid potential departure have become part of a series of personnel decisions within the administration's communications team.
