Katie Zacharia left her position as White House press secretary this Friday, after President Donald Trump suggested he resign after a first week in office marred by harsh criticism. A US Executive official confirmed the departure to the Efe news agency.
“Katie Zacharia is in the process of leaving the position of press secretary,” declared the official source, without specifying whether it was a voluntary resignation or a formal dismissal.
The decision came shortly after the US president publicly admitted that he suggested Zacharia reconsider his permanence as head of the government spokesperson.
“I told him, ‘If I were you, I would think about it,'” Trump revealed to reporters. “Is this for you, Katie? Honestly, you don’t need this,” added the president, who at the time maintained that he would leave the final decision in the hands of the official.
A turbulent debut before the media
Zacharia took over as spokesperson on Monday, October 12, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who resigned in August to dedicate herself to her family. Although Trump announced the appointment on Friday, October 9, the performance of the new spokesperson generated immediate tensions.
His first appearance before the media, on Tuesday, October 13, lasted just 14 minutes. During the press conference, Zacharia read most of his speech, answered only three questions – all from conservative-leaning media – and showed difficulty in answering key issues, such as the exchange of military intelligence with Ukraine.
Questions about his career
Added to the deficiencies in his presentations were controversies over his academic and work credentials. Although the president initially introduced her as a lawyer, Zacharia admitted during the week that she did not pass the California Bar entrance exam, an evaluation she took in 2011 after graduating in Law from Pepperdine University.
This same Friday, Zachary He tried to defend his management during an interview with the Fox News network. “My role is to represent the president before the press and not to act as a White House lawyer,” she argued hours before her departure from the cabinet was confirmed.
