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Donald Trump tells White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia to ‘reconsider’ the job after disastrous debut

The president's new spokeswoman hasn’t finished her first week. He’s already suggesting she leave.

katie zacharia

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (R) is seen at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 16, 2026. Trump said that his embattled new press secretary should "reconsider" staying in the job after a shaky start in the high-profile role.

Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

BREAKING UPDATE: Trump fires new White House Press Secretary in first week on the job

President Donald Trump said Friday that he had advised White House press secretary Katie Zacharia to reconsider her job, casting doubt on her future before she had completed her first week.


Speaking to reporters at the White House before boarding Marine One, Trump described a conversation in which he offered his new spokesperson an exit.

Related: Trump’s new press secretary gushes over him, calling her husband ‘my president’ in shaky first briefing

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” Trump said he told her. “You think about it, but I would reconsider.”

Trump announced no resignation or dismissal and said Zacharia would make the decision. But when asked whether he wanted her to stay, he declined to say yes.

“I’ll talk to her when I get back,” the president said.

The White House schedule lists Trump’s return to Washington for Sunday, following stops in Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky.

The remarks came hours after Zacharia appeared on Fox & Friends, where cohost Lawrence Jones asked whether she still had Trump’s confidence.

Related: Trump’s new press secretary needed a Fox News cleanup interview for her Sean Hannity cleanup interview

“I’m standing here,” she replied, pointing to their recent campaign travel. “And I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me.”

By early afternoon, Trump was publicly questioning whether the job suited her.

“I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’” he told reporters.

The president responded to a question about Zacharia’s performance and whether he would have wanted to know she failed the bar exam. He did not address the disclosure question. Instead, he blamed the press.

His criticism included Fox News, where Zacharia’s attempts to explain herself drew further scrutiny.

“She was on Sean Hannity last night, and Sean was a little bit tough,” Trump said.

During that interview, Zacharia acknowledged failing the bar and never retaking it. Hannity repeatedly pressed her for direct answers and questioned the distinction she drew between calling herself a lawyer and an attorney.

Related: White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia failed the California Bar exam

Trump had introduced her as an attorney. Her credentials drew scrutiny, as did a 14-minute debut briefing in which she deferred a question about Ukraine and mistakenly called her husband “my president.”

On Tuesday, Trump called her performance “excellent.” By Friday, he was invoking her husband and children as reasons to reconsider the position.

“You should reconsider because you don’t want to go through this,” he said he told her.

Asked what he wanted Zacharia to do, Trump said he wanted her to be happy.

“Maybe it’s not for her,” he added.

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