Katie Zacharia Fired After Less Than a Week as Donald Trump's Press Secretary: Report

Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after a mere five tumultuous days on the job, according to a report.

On October 16, just minutes after President Donald Trump claimed to reporters he told Zacharia the gig "wasn't for her," The New York Times reported that Zacharia had been fired.

The New York Times cited three sources familiar with the matter. Fox News' Peter Doocy also reported the news, saying White House officials told him Zacharia would be "transitioning out" of the role.

Neither the White House nor President Trump have confirmed the report as of the time of writing.

Trump intimated Zacharia was on her way out in a Friday press gaggle, telling reporters that he told Zacharia, "You don't have to do this, if you don't want."

"Katie has been treated very badly by the media. Very very badly. Very unfair," Trump complained about his hand-picked 41-year-old press secretary. "I just asked her, 'Is this for you?' And she's a nice person. I'm going to let her make that decision."

He also implied the grilling she was given by Fox News was behind the decision.

"Sean Hannity was a little bit tough," he said. "Katie is off to a start that the news has been so nasty to her. I told her, 'Honestly, if I were you, I would reconsider.' Maybe it's not for her."

Zacharia's brief, disastrous run as press secretary was marred by a single embarrassing introductory press conference — in which she misspoke and called the president her "husband" — and questions over whether she'd misrepresented herself as a lawyer despite having never passed the bar exam.

She was widely criticized by commenters in the media, on social media, and in the White House in her only week on the job.

The knives were out in Washington almost immediately, as insiders texted reporters deeply harsh text messages about Zacharia, including one where an anonymous insider complained that the press secretary "could barely read."

President Trump allegedly handpicked Zacharia to be succeed Karoline Leavitt as press secretary with very little vetting, overriding efforts by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to find a suitable candidate for the position.

Zacharia had almost no experience working in the government before being handed one of the most visible jobs in America. She worked in the Department of Homeland Security's comms team for a month earlier this year. She also worked a job in Trump Media over the summer.

Trump was reportedly impressed by Zacharia's Newsmax and Fox News appearances, where she controversially spoke with the authority of being a "lawyer," despite never passing the bar exam (she did graduate from Pepperdine University's law school."

If Zacharia is confirmed fired by the end of October 16, her five days as press secretary would shatter the record for shortest term in a government position, previously held by Anthony Scaramucci, who somehow served twice as long as Zacharia during his eleven day stint as White House Comms Director in 2017.

Scaramucci joked about the news on social media, posting, "Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people's pain."