Trump fires Katie Zacharia just a week after White House hiring; she gave only one briefing, admits failing bar exam

US President Donald Trump has fired the newly-appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia from her role just one week after her hiring was announced, reports news agency AP. Katie Zacharia is "transitioning out" of her role as White House press secretary, the White House said. Zacharia had given only one briefing in her role.

A White House official told The Independent that she’d been sacked just moments after Trump departed the White House for a rally in Georgia on the way to a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home.

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Trump asked Katie Zacharia to 'reconsider' her job

“I said to Katie just two minutes ago, I said, Katie, you know, you don't have to do this ... the news has been so nasty to her. I've never seen anything like it. And I said, I said to her honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. You think about it, but I wouldn't reconsider. She's got a beautiful husband and family,” Trump said moments before she was fired.

On Friday, Donald Trump said Katie Zacharia, should "reconsider" her role, adding that she has received unfair treatment by the media.

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” he told reporters, recounting his conversation with his press secretary. He said he added: “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.” He said Zacharia might continue to work for him “in some form, but maybe a more pleasant form.”

Katie Zacharia’s first and ultimately final press briefing on Tuesday got off to a rocky start, as she largely stuck to a prepared script and wrapped up the session after answering just three questions.

Katie did not pass the bar exam

Katie Zacharia said on Thursday she did not pass the bar exam after facing scrutiny about her legal career before becoming the top spokeswoman for US President Donald Trump.

Zacharia, who joined the White House on Monday, has previously said she practiced law before entering politics and Trump had described her as an attorney.

"You did not pass the bar exam, correct?" she was asked in an interview on Fox News' "Hannity" show late on Thursday.

"Correct," she said in response to the host, Sean Hannity. "I did not," she said when Hannity asked if she ever took the bar exam a second time.

Katie Zacharia earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, according to the university. Nearly all licensed US lawyers first obtain a law degree, but law school graduates cannot legally practice law in the US without first being admitted to a state bar. Zacharia, who spent much of her career as a conservative political commentator and in communication roles, was offered the White House press secretary role on 9 October.

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Who is Katie Zacharia?

Katie Zacharia is currently involved as a member of the Dean’s Council at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. According to her LinkedIn profile, she previously served as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs for the US Department of Homeland Security before transitioning to her role as a senior communications advisor at Trump Media & Technology Group. Additionally, she was a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax and served as director of development for special projects at Pepperdine from 2023 to 2025.

Before taking on the White House Press Secretary role, Zacharia also served as general counsel for the nonprofit Fix California, also according to her LinkedIn profile. After graduating with a degree in political science from Seaver College, as a Pepperdine law student Zacharia interned at the White House during president George ​W. Bush's administration. She also was a research assistant to Pepperdine president and CEO Jim Gash (JD ’93) during his tenure as professor of law at the Caruso School of Law.

(With Reuters inputs)