Trump fires press secretary Katie Zacharia after five days on the job

President Donald Trump has removed Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary after just five days, following a widely criticized first briefing and her admission that she never passed the bar exam despite calling herself a lawyer.

President Donald Trump has fired White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia on her fifth day in the job, The New York Times first reported Friday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that she was being removed, while a senior White House official told Fox News she is “transitioning out” of the role.

Trump announced Zacharia as his pick on Oct. 9 to replace Karoline Leavitt, who stepped aside in August. Her brief tenure is believed to be the shortest of any White House press secretary in memory, drawing comparisons with Anthony Scaramucci’s 11 days as communications director in Trump’s first term.

A rocky first briefing

Zacharia’s first and only White House press briefing

Zacharia held her first and only briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 13. She read prepared remarks for about 10 minutes and then took questions for roughly five minutes from just three outlets: Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail. Fox host Sean Hannity, a Trump ally, said the performance had been “widely panned,” and Zacharia later told him she had received her briefing materials only that morning.

Bar exam controversy

Scrutiny also grew over her legal credentials. Zacharia, a graduate of Pepperdine Law School, acknowledged on Thursday that she failed the California bar exam in 2011. She told The New York Times that Pepperdine’s president had advised her she could call herself a “lawyer” but not an “attorney,” and told conservative commentator Jack Posobiec there was “a lot of misinformation” about how she described herself.

“I would reconsider”

Leaving the White House on Friday, Trump signaled her time was up. “They’ve been so nasty to her,” he said of the press, adding: “Honestly if I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it. But I would reconsider.” Some White House staff learned of the change from news reports.

Zacharia is expected to take a new role in the administration soon, according to sources familiar with the discussions. In a social media post Friday night, she praised Trump and said it “was an honor to work for him.” The White House has not said who will replace her or who will brief reporters in the meantime.

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