Zacharia leaving White House press job less than a week in

Katie Zacharia is leaving her job as White House press secretary less than a week after starting, the White House said Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, after one briefing and questions about her claim to be a lawyer.

She held a single briefing, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, that lasted about 14 minutes and took questions from three reporters, the Associated Press reported. The departure comes 18 days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.

The AP, citing a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been made public, reported that Zacharia “would be transitioning out of the role.” The White House did not comment immediately, and Zacharia did not return messages from the AP. In a segment on PBS NewsHour, the White House was described as confirming she is “transitioning out” of the job.

Trump announced her appointment on Oct. 9 as the successor to Karoline Leavitt. The AP reported that her first official day was Monday, Oct. 12. She travelled with the president to rallies on Wednesday and Thursday but held no further briefings.

Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn Friday, Trump said he would talk with her after his weekend travel. “When I get back, we’re gonna talk,” he said, according to the AP. “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” he said, describing his advice to her. He added: “I told her, ‘I think you’re better off being happy.'” The AP reported that Trump said he would make a final decision later and that “there were a lot of people who wanted the job.” No replacement has been named.

PBS NewsHour reported that Trump said he gave her the option to leave and said, “Maybe it’s not for her.” Because the two accounts differ in wording, it is not clear from the reporting whether Trump or Zacharia will make the final call. Neither the White House nor Zacharia has given an official reason for the change.

The AP said scrutiny of Zacharia centred on two things: a halting first briefing, and criticism that she had called herself a lawyer on conservative television although she has not passed a bar exam. Zacharia said the term was proper when she offered legal analysis, and that she had worked as a lawyer in China. She said she was not asked about the bar before taking the job, the AP reported. Trump said she was hired as a spokesperson, not an attorney.

On Fox News on Friday, Zacharia said, “I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me,” according to the AP. She did not say when her next briefing would be.

Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school and previously worked in communications for Trump Media, the company behind Truth Social, and briefly at the Department of Homeland Security, the AP reported.

The press secretary is the president’s main public voice, running the daily briefing and relaying the administration’s positions on subjects from tariffs to the border, including on Canada. The role does not require Senate confirmation. The vacancy arrives while the White House is also in court over press access: a federal judge kept reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW inside the building on Oct. 14 while their lawsuit proceeds.

There is no direct Canadian element to the personnel change, and no comment from the Canadian government has been reported. What to watch next is whether Trump names a successor after he returns from his weekend travel, and who would run the briefings in the meantime. The White House has not said.

Via the Associated Press and PBS NewsHour.

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