Katie Zachariah’s tenure as White House press secretary lasted less than a week. According to three people familiar with the developments, Donald Trump’s new spokesperson was dismissed from her duties on Friday.

The move followed a series of reports questioning her professional credentials, raising questions about the circumstances in which she was selected for one of the most high-profile positions in the US presidency.

Zachariah had delivered her first official briefing to accredited White House reporters on Tuesday, unaware at the time that it would also be her last. Over the following days, she faced reports about her professional background, particularly her status as a lawyer — a description the US president himself had used when publicly referring to her.

According to published reports, Zachariah had failed the examinations required to obtain a licence to practise law. This raised questions about whether she had accurately represented her qualifications.

It is important to note, however, that failing these examinations does not, in itself, mean that someone has made a false claim. The issue concerns how her professional status was presented and whether that description accurately reflected her actual qualifications.

Trump’s intervention and the discussions before her departure

Donald Trump’s reaction is particularly noteworthy. Speaking to reporters on Friday, he revealed that he had personally advised Zachariah to reconsider accepting the position.

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d think about it again,” the US president said, recounting their conversation.

Trump continued: “Katie, do you really need this? I don’t think you do.”

His remarks leave open the question of whether the decision to remove her had already been made by the presidency or whether discussions had taken place about the possibility of her stepping down voluntarily. The reports cited describe her departure as a dismissal, although no official announcement has yet clarified the circumstances.

The White House did not respond to journalists’ requests for comment, and Zachariah also declined to comment. The absence of an official statement leaves unanswered questions about who made the final decision, when the press secretary was informed and whether concerns about her professional credentials were the decisive factor behind her removal.

Earlier, speaking to Fox News and reflecting on her first — and, as it turned out, final — week as White House press secretary, Zachariah said that President Trump “has a lot of energy and is fighting to save America”.

When asked the contentious question of whether she should have told the US president that she had failed the bar exam, Zachariah replied that she had been hired to serve as White House press secretary, not as an adviser.

Behind the dispute over her legal credentials

Zachariah graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in California in 2011. In an interview with Fox News presenter Sean Hannity, she said she had taken the bar examination but failed and had never attempted to retake it.

She explained that she had already decided to move to China with her husband at the time and therefore did not consider obtaining a US law licence essential. In Beijing, according to the professional history that has been reported, she worked for the law firm Zhong Lun. That experience, however, does not in itself amount to a licence to practise law in the United States.

The issue took on political significance when Donald Trump described her as a “lawyer”. The distinction between holding a law degree and possessing the professional certification required to practise law in the US became the focus of public debate.

Under the American system, graduating from an accredited law school does not automatically entitle someone to practise law. Candidates must pass the relevant examinations and be admitted to the appropriate state bar.

Questions over her appointment to the White House

The White House press secretary’s role carries considerable political and institutional weight. The person in the position is responsible for publicly presenting and defending the administration’s decisions, answering questions from accredited journalists and managing the government’s daily communications with American and international media.

The departure of someone from the role after only a few days raises questions about the process used to select and vet officials appointed to public-facing positions.

Zachariah’s case is particularly notable because doubts about her credentials emerged almost immediately after she took office. Her first press briefing did not mark the beginning of a period of adjustment to the new role; instead, it became the only public demonstration of her work as the spokesperson for the US presidency.

It remains unknown who will replace her or whether the White House will issue an official explanation for her departure.

It is also unclear whether the decision was linked exclusively to the public controversy surrounding her professional qualifications or whether other disagreements over her performance had emerged beforehand.

According to the information available so far, Zachariah leaves the role having delivered just one official press briefing.

The fact that the president himself publicly acknowledged advising her to reconsider taking the job adds another element to the story, but does not answer the central question: why was an appointment to such a prominent communications role in the US presidency overturned in less than a week?

She did it all in 13 minutes

Outgoing White House press secretary Katie Zachariah needed just 13 minutes during her first and only briefing on Tuesday morning, US time, to praise Donald Trump, answer questions from just three journalists, make a significant announcement about the future of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and provide an unexpectedly humorous moment when she confused her husband with the president.

Zachariah, who succeeded Karoline Leavitt, appeared particularly enthusiastic as she stepped up to the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. Her voice occasionally betrayed her nervousness, but she maintained her smile and made her central message clear: she had wanted to work for Trump for a long time.

“I’ve wanted to work for him for a very long time,” she said, thanking the US president for placing his trust in her.

Those expecting an extended first exchange between the new spokesperson and the journalists covering the White House were disappointed, as the briefing turned out to be remarkably short.

Most of the session was devoted to prepared remarks about what Zachariah presented as the administration’s achievements, covering everything from wages and prescription drug prices to energy production, foreign investment, manufacturing and border security.

“President Trump is fighting and delivering results for American workers every minute of every day,” she said.

With just three weeks remaining before the midterm elections, Zachariah also spoke at length about Trump’s campaign rallies, claiming record attendance and growing enthusiasm among Republican voters.

Only three journalists were allowed to ask questions

Notably, after completing her opening remarks and moving on to questions, Zachariah called on just three journalists: Nick Gilbertson of Breitbart News, Peter Doocy of Fox News and Elina Shirazi of the Daily Mail.

The choice was noteworthy not only because of the outlets they represented, but also because of how the session was conducted. Zachariah called the journalists by name rather than opening the floor to questions from everyone present.

Gilbertson was the first to speak. Seated in the area allocated to new media outlets, he praised Leavitt for opening the briefing room to journalists beyond the traditional news organisations and asked whether the new press secretary intended to continue the practice.

“My predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, did an incredible job. We will absolutely maintain it and expand it as much as possible. We love new media and want to embrace them,” she replied.

Asked whether Trump’s campaign schedule would intensify ahead of the elections, she answered without hesitation: “Absolutely, expect even more intensive campaign appearances.”

She added that Kentucky had been included in the president’s upcoming travel schedule, alongside Georgia and Florida.

The most substantive question about Zachariah’s new role came from Fox News journalist Peter Doocy.

Doocy pointed out that she was taking office just three weeks before the midterm elections, which Trump himself had described as difficult for Republicans.

“Is your job simply to talk about White House issues, or is it to make things less difficult for Republicans in the midterms?” he asked.

Zachariah did not draw a clear distinction between the two responsibilities.

“Well, Peter, I have the opportunity to do what I was already doing outside the White House, which is trying to promote, amplify and expand President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people,” she replied.

She explained that her aim was to communicate the administration’s achievements more effectively while working closely with a president who, she said, “is his own best spokesperson”.

Doocy then turned to a more direct foreign policy question, asking whether the US had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” Zachariah replied.

Major announcement about Kimberly Guilfoyle

The most significant news from the briefing emerged in response to a question from Daily Mail journalist Elina Shirazi about Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece.

The previous day, Trump had said he was considering removing her from the post, amid reports raising questions about her conduct while carrying out her duties.

Shirazi asked whether the administration had established a specific timetable for a possible dismissal and whether potential replacements were already being considered.

Zachariah’s answer was brief but significant.

“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been an incredibly valuable member of the team, and we wish her the best,” she said.

For Zachariah, this was an unusually consequential announcement to make during her first appearance at the podium, which had otherwise focused on promoting the administration’s achievements.

‘My president… sorry, my husband’

The questions then took a more personal turn.

Shirazi noted that Zachariah was a mother of four and that her family had until recently been living in California. She asked how she planned to meet the demands of her new role while raising a large family. She also wanted to know whether Leavitt, who had left the position to spend more time with her family, had offered her any advice.

Zachariah became visibly more animated.

“Well, first of all, I want to say a huge thank you to my husband,” she began.

She explained that she had four children, aged 12, 10, eight and six, three of whom were boys.

“I love my family. I love them. They are my priority,” she said, emphasising how important it was for her to spend evenings with her children.

Then came the moment that briefly interrupted the formal tone of the briefing.

“My president… sorry, my husband,” Zachariah said, immediately correcting herself.

“That was a good one,” she added, commenting on her slip of the tongue.

Regaining her composure, she explained that her husband had brought all four children to Washington for the week because the family was celebrating two birthdays.

“It’s very important to us to celebrate birthdays together as a family,” she said, adding that the family planned to move to Washington.

Returning to her predecessor, she said Leavitt had been very supportive and had given her advice on handling the demands of the position.

She nevertheless acknowledged that the job made a conventional work-life balance difficult.

“I don’t think this is necessarily a job where you can maintain balance,” she said.

She then found another opportunity to praise Trump.

“President Trump is the most family-friendly president we’ve ever had,” she said, adding that his decision to appoint her despite knowing she had four children and would face demanding responsibilities demonstrated his confidence in her ability to do the job.

As the discussion turned to her personal life, Zachariah abruptly decided to end the briefing.

“I’m actually going to wrap up here, because President Trump is heading to Marine One for our historic trip to Alaska, and we can ask him all the questions out there,” she said.

The US president was preparing to leave the White House for Joint Base Andrews, where he would board Air Force One for Alaska to attend another campaign rally.

As Zachariah prepared to leave, journalists continued trying to ask additional questions, including whether Trump had spoken personally to Guilfoyle about her departure.

The new press secretary, however, had already begun wrapping up the session. Her first appearance at the White House podium ended almost as quickly as it had begun.