Image source, Getty Images

Katie Zacharia's stint as White House press secretary will soon end. At five days since she started the job, that's a new record.

US President Donald Trump told reporters that he thought Zacharias should "reconsider" the job. The White House later confirmed to the BBC that Zacharia would be "transitioning out" of her role, but did not provide further details on the timeline of her move.

A rocky start

Zacharia has faced heavy criticism since she made her first appearance in the role on Tuesday.

The briefing lasted less than 15 minutes and saw only three questions from reporters.

After the briefing, Trump commended her performance, but just three days later, the president seemed to have reconsidered, saying he told her "you don't have to do this if you don't want to" and "honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider".

Zacharia was also immediately mired in questions about her legal qualifications. Trump had introduced her as an attorney, but it was later revealed that she never past the US bar exam, though she did graduate from law school.

A record-breaking stint

During Trump's first administration, Anthony Scaramucci left his post after ten days on the job as White House Communications Director.

"Records are made to be broken," Scaramucci wrote on X on Friday. "But I take no pleasure in other people's pain."

We're ending our live coverage of Zacharia's short-lived tenure, but you can stay across further updates in our main news story.

Presidents benefit from competent press secretaries in difficult momentspublished at 22:29 BST 16 October

22:29 BST 16 October

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Trump may be wondering whether Zacharia "needs" the press secretary job, but presidents – including this one - benefit most from a competent press secretary in times of crisis.

And while there may not be an immediate crisis, this White House is certainly facing growing adversity.

Across the US, Republican candidates are scrambling to hold on to their seats in the upcoming elections. Some are doing so by distancing themselves from the president and his policies, creating new stresses and faultlines within a party that has for so long been broadly unified behind Trump.

Meanwhile, the White House has been beset by a series of controversies – including allegations of corruption that forced the resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and an abrupt reversal of plans to publicly air a military execution in December after widespread bipartisan backlash.

A skilled press secretary may have been able to navigate these political landmines while continuing to push out the White House's preferred message in the face of a building media frenzy.

In comments to Fox News on Friday, Trump said that he is in "no rush" to find a new press secretary. But at such a critical time in his second term, Trump will be without the help that someone like Leavitt offered so consistently.

He may come to regret not having it.

Read more: Analysis: Zacharia was thrown into a whirlwind - and failed at a critical time for Trump

Questions have arisen regarding Katie Zacharia's legal qualifications.

President Trump described her as an "attorney" in a post announcing her appointment. She's also called herself a lawyer in the past.

The 42-year-old political strategist graduated from law school at Pepperdine University in California in 2011, the university confirmed.

When asked by reporters where she passed the bar exam, required to practice law, Zacharia said "When I moved to China."

She does not appear to be registered to the bar in any state where she has lived. White House communications director Steven Cheung said earlier this week that Zacharia is "uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people".

A US watchdog filed a complaint with the California Bar Association earlier this week, which may lead to an investigation into whether Zacharia misrepresented herself as an attorney.

On Thursday, Zacharia confirmed to Fox News Host Sean Hannity that she never passed the bar.

Read more: White House defends new press secretary over her legal credentials

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter

Katie Zacharia's first - and it seems only - briefing began several minutes behind schedule and ended much earlier than most expected, including our own reporters in the room.

It is not unusual for White House briefings to start later than advertised, but her's stood apart for its short length.

It was about 14 minutes long, and Zacharia took questions from reporters at the three outlets Breitbart, Fox News, and the Daily Mail.

By contrast, her predecessor Karoline Leavitt began her tenure as Donald Trump's press secretary with 46 minutes at the lectern, an official time-stamped White House transcript and video recordings of the 29 January 2025 show.

She took questions from a range of outlets including Axios, the Associated Press, CNN, and Fox News.

Karine Jean-Pierre, President Joe Biden's last press secretary, spent one hour and four minutes at her first briefing.

No further comment on Zacharia as Trump campaigns in Georgiapublished at 21:43 BST 16 October

21:43 BST 16 October

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter, travelling with the president

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has just begun speaking at Dolton Municipal Airport in Georgia, campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of next month's midterm elections.

It's an odd set-up - the crowd is on large sets of riders set up between two aircraft hangers.

Zacharia's departure seems to be far from the minds of the small but enthusiastic crowd. A short while ago, Marine One - the presidential helicopter - flew over the venue to the applause of the crowd, which was chanting "USA, USA" as Trump emerged.

He has yet to mention the departure. The position of White House press secretary, after all, is one of immense importance to journalists covering the presidency in Washington DC, but much less so to voters across the country.

They are here to see Trump and most likely care very little for the ins and outs of the White House staff that ultimately are there at his pleasure.

A US politics reporter at The Guardian who interviewed Katie Zacharia just yesterday tells the BBC "there were a few signs" that she wouldn't last long in the job.

Reporter Shrai Popat says he asked Zacharia on Thursday "when and how often she plans to host briefings with the press", to which she replied that it was "unknown and up to the president".

Popat adds that the former press secretary declined to comment when he asked her how she got the job.

"Katie Zacharia has never held a job where she is engaging with press in the way that the role of White House press secretary requires, that's an incredibly front-facing and demanding job", he says.

No Zacharia on this flight with Trumppublished at 20:43 BST 16 October

20:43 BST 16 October

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter, travelling with President Trump

I've just touched down in Georgia, where President Trump is scheduled to deliver campaign remarks.

Zacharia was notably absent on this flight, and while we had no signal while in the air, it's now abundantly clear to the reporters on the flight why that is.

Many reporters will be hoping to ask President Trump if he has a replacement in mind - or whether, as both Zacharia and Karoline Leavitt have said, he will be his own best spokesperson.

At a critical time, Trump finds himself without the help of a press secretarypublished at 20:10 BST 16 October

20:10 BST 16 October

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The White House press secretary job is a challenging one, even under the best of circumstances.

These were not the best of circumstances.

Katie Zacharia was thrown into the whirlwind, joining a White House just weeks away from what is shaping up to be very difficult midterm congressional elections for Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

The White House has been beset by a series of controversies – including allegations of corruption that forced the resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and an abrupt reversal of plans to publicly air a military execution in December after widespread bipartisan objection.

A skilled press secretary may have been able to navigate these political landmines and continue to push the White House message in the face of a building media frenzy. Zacharia, a relative novice, only fanned the flames.

Her halting Tuesday press conference performance, combined with the questions about her legal background, essentially sealed her fate. And subsequent press appearances, including a less-than-welcoming interview with conservative talking head Sean Hannity on Thursday – which Trump said he watched – did nothing to change that.

As president, Trump has essentially acted as his own press secretary, making major announcements and changing policies from the Oval Office, White House lawn and airfield tarmacs. But his press secretaries, when they’ve been effective, have smoothed relations with the media, provided context for inquisitive journalists and helped tamp down simmering issues.

At a critical time in his second term, Trump will be without such help.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

As Katie Zacharia becomes the shortest serving White House press secretary in modern American history, let's take a look back at the key events in the lead up to her exit.

• Friday 9 October: The former conservative commentator was named the new White House press secretary
• Tuesday: A few days later, she delivered her first briefing to reporters, which was widely criticised in the media
• Wednesday: A complaint was filed with the California State Bar Association after questions were raised about Zacharia's legal credentials
• Early Friday: President Trump told reporters he would “reconsider”whether to keep Zacharia in her position
• Less than an hour later: The White House confirmed that Zacharia was "transitioning out" of her post

Brandon Drenon
US reporter

Image source, Reuters

Let's rewind a few hours, and take you back to a moment when Katie Zacharia appeared on Fox & Friends this morning.

It's a known favourite programme of Trump's, and Zacharia was on there defending herself against a flurry of stinging news headlines.

She was asked plainly by Fox host Lawrence Jones: "Do you think you still have the confidence of the president?"

Zacharia's reply was indirect.

"I am standing here, and I was able to travel with him," she said, referring to her recent travels with Trump to energise Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in November.

"I hope to be able to build the confidence and trust of everyone around me," she ended.

Image source, Getty Images

With the new press secretary's ouster now being confirmed, we're starting to hear from Democrats, who are capitalising on the opportunity to criticise the Trump administration.

Here's a look at what some are saying:

• "The White House Press Secretary is gone. MAGA extremists continue to fall apart," writes the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, on X
• "This administration's vetting process is a complete joke," Shontel Brown, a congresswoman from Ohio, writes, adding: "Trump's White House is bumbling, incompetent, corrupt, and not focused on serving the people"
• "I thought Trump only hired the best!" quips Mark Pocan, a congressman from Wisconsin
• California Governor Gavin Newsom posted a photo of Zacharia with the words, "In Memoriam, Tuesday-Friday" overlayed

Image source, Getty Images

After introducing herself to the world on Tuesday, Zacharia joined Trump and his entourage on a cross-country blitz to energise the base ahead of the US midterm elections in November, now less than three weeks away.

"I hit the ground running after the briefing," Zacharia said this morning on Fox & Friends, noting how she'd travelled with the president to Alaska, Arizona, and Montana

"All of these rallies are making a substantial difference for these midterms," she said. "I’m so excited to be along the journey with him."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who left the role after just 10 days, has offered his sympathy to Zacharia in a social media post.

"Records are made to be broken," writes Scaramucci on X.

"But I take no pleasure in other people's pain."

A reminder: Scaramucci held the role of White House communications director, which is different than the one Zacharia held, which is White House press secretary.

I was in the room for Zacharia's first - and maybe only - White House briefingpublished at 19:24 BST 16 October

19:24 BST 16 October

Sarah Smith
North America editor

It's lucky I was in the room for Katie Zacharia’s first White House press briefing - because it seems it might also have been her last appearance in the job.

She seemed very nervous and stilted on Tuesday as she read out prepared remarks about how proud she was to be working for President Trump. It made me wonder why she had rushed to hold a briefing - live on camera - on her second day in the job.

As she abruptly ended the briefing after only 14 minutes, the assembled journalists in the White House briefing room speculated about how long she might last in the job. But we assumed that she would not be sacked before the midterm elections, which are coming up on 3 November.

We did not predict that she would be gone by the end of the week, lasting even less time than Anthony Scaramucci, who served as Donald Trump's communications head for only 11 days during his first administration.

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

Katie Zacharia is "transitioning out" of her role as White House press secretary, the White House confirms to the BBC.

They did not provide a timeline for when she would be leaving the position.

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent at the White House

Image source, Reuters

Earlier today, while standing outside the White House, the president relayed a conversation he had with his new press secretary, in which he told her to "reconsider" her role.

Trump spoke before boarding Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews and seemed in no hurry to leave.

He took questions on Ukraine and a wide range of other issues before walking across the South Lawn to the helicopter.

Rumours had been swirling this week that Zacharia may not last in the role, especially after her rocky start.

And indeed, Trump told reporters he would “reconsider” whether to keep her in her position after that rocky first week on the job.

After travelling with Trump earlier in the week following her first news briefing, Zacharia had been notably absent.

Image source, Reuters

President Donald Trump has had a revolving door of press secretaries between his two terms in office.

Should Zacharia leave, as Trump has suggested, her exit would be the quickest.

• Sean Spicer (20 January 2017 – 21 July 2017)
• Sarah Huckabee Sanders (21 July 2017 – 1 July 2019)
• Stephanie Grisham (1 July 2019 – 7 April 2020)
• Kayleigh McEnany (7 April 2020 – 20 January 2021)
• Karoline Leavitt (20 January 2025 – 27 August 2026)
• Katie Zacharia (12 October 2026 – present)

Image source, Reuters

Earlier this week, Donald Trump seemed to approve of Katie Zacharia's first briefing as White House press secretary.

When asked by reporters on Tuesday what he thought of her performance, he replied by saying that she did "very good".

But just three days later, the president seems to be reconsidering her tenure, saying he told her this week: "Is this for you Katie, because honestly you don't need this."