Karoline Leavitt Has Harsh Verdict for Katie Zacharia, Says White House Press Secretary Role 'Was Not for Her’ After 5-Day Tenure

Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has given her verdict on her short-lived successor, Katie Zacharia, and it's unsurprisingly not very positive.

Speaking to reporters about Zacharia, the Trump supporter admitted the press secretary role was "obviously not for her."

Leavitt was asked about her take on Zacharia by reporter Paul Steinhauser.

“Well, look, White House press secretary is a tough job,” Leavitt said. “I know that because I did it, obviously, for almost two years, and many people say it’s one of the hardest jobs in politics. It takes a lot of preparation, and sometimes you don’t know how someone will perform until they go out there.”

“So, look, as the president said, we wish Katie the best,” she continued. “The job, obviously, was not for her, but we wish her and her family well, and I think I know the president is continuing to look over options. There’s a lot of people who want that job. It’s an amazing job. It provides you with incredible opportunities, and I’ve offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him in the country well.”

Zacharia's car crash tenure as press secretary lasted less than a week. It opened with a painful 14-minute press conference in which she struggled reading her notes and accidentally called President Donald Trump her "husband." She was then marred by a scandal concerning her history of misrepresenting her legal accreditation.

Zacharia instantly fell out of favor with President Trump, who had rushed her hire through the week prior after catching some of her television appearances.

On October 16, Trump told reporters that he urged Zacharia to reconsider the job, and within an hour, the news broke that she was fired.

It was a far cry from Trump's impression of Leavitt, who he heaped praise on — sometimes about her appearance — throughout her run as press secretary.

Leavitt, who left the gig in order to spend more time with her family, declined to say whether she was advising Trump about who he should hire next.

"I do, obviously, talk to him about what the job entails, and he knows it very well," she said. "Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight. So, again, there’s plenty of people who want the job. There’s a lot of qualified people who can have it. It’s just up to the president to make that decision.”

Trump reportedly overrode Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who was vetting candidates, when he picked Zacharia. Zacharia had almost no government comms experience before being gifted the role, having previously worked for a mere month in the DHS comms department earlier this year.

Among more serious candidates supposedly considered for the position are deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly and CNN pundit Scott Jennings.