U.S. President Donald Trump has effectively confirmed that new White House Press Secretary Katie Zaharia is stepping down without having served a full week in office. According to Reuters, her departure became known on September 16 when media reported she was leaving the post after working for just five days. Thus, Zaharia set a record for the shortest tenure in this position — shorter than any press secretary in White House history.
«If I Were You, I Would Change My Mind»
On Friday, Trump told journalists that he asked Zaharia to reconsider her decision to continue working after she faced harsh criticism in the press during her first days. «I told her: „I think you'd better be happy, although I'm not sure you can ever be happy in this whole situation“... I honestly told her: „If I were you, I would change my mind... think about it. But I would change my mind“», the president recounted, adding that he intends to return to the conversation with Zaharia later.
Why She Was Hired and Why She Left
According to two Reuters sources, Trump hired Zaharia after expressing concern over media coverage of his administration, believing he needed a new press secretary who could highlight his achievements. However, the reasons for her rapid departure were the presentation of her legal career and her first press briefing: reportedly, she failed her bar exam, read from a script during her debut briefing, and concluded her remarks after taking just three questions.
Who Will Take Over the Post
In a telephone interview with Fox News, Trump stated that he is in no rush to appoint a new press secretary. Earlier, he announced that former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would step down at the end of August, citing the birth of a child. Following that, Katie Zaharia took over the position at the beginning of the month, resulting in the shortest tenure in the history of the White House press office.
Context of Team Turnover
The change of press secretary comes amid staff shifts within the president's inner circle, as other personnel decisions in the administration were simultaneously discussed. Zaharia's quick departure highlights the immense pressure of the press secretary role and how its fate depends heavily on the very first public media appearances, where mistakes and delivery formats are judged with particular severity.
