10
Loading video...
By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said she learned three lessons from the five days she spent at the helm of the Trump administration's communications team.
"The biggest lessons are to stay true to your character, focus on the work in front of you, and refuse to be defined by the critics," Zacharia said, according to a New York Post opinion piece.
Zacharia, a former conservative commentator and communications adviser for President Donald Trump's Truth Social platform, was named as White House press secretary on October 9 following Karoline Leavitt's departure earlier this year. Her first White House press briefing was October 13, and she was fired on October 16. Her brief five-day tenure was marked by controversy and criticism, including scrutiny over her failure to pass the California bar exam.
Read More on U.S.
Trump dismissed her last Friday, while also saying she had been treated unfairly by the press. After her departure, Zacharia thanked the president for the opportunity. She shared the lessons with the New York Post.
She said it was "an honor" to answer Trump's "call to serve," and that she was proud of herself.
“Answering the president’s call to serve was an honor, and my kids were able to see their mom step up for one of the most sought-after jobs in the world,” she said. “I’m proud I said yes, stood firm in what I believe, and kept supporting the president even when the circumstances weren’t ideal for me—showing my children what courage looks like in the face of criticism.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email for comment on Tuesday.
...
Who Will Replace Zacharia?
Trump has not yet announced the new White House press secretary following Zacharia's departure, but several conservative voices have already made their desire for the job known.
Among them are Laura Loomer and George Santos.
“Hey I’m not technically open for a job because I have one already…. butttttttt…I’d jump to serve POTUS as press secretary in a heart beat. Just saying,” Santos, a former Republican congressman who was expelled from office amid numerous scandals, wrote on X Friday night.
Loomer, a prominent conservative commentator and part-time adviser to Trump, also put herself forward.
"Hear me out: press secretary Laura Loomer," she posted on X Friday.
Why Katie Zacharia Left the White House
Zacharia's first briefing drew significant scrutiny over a number of comments she made and her failure to pass the California bar exam. Trump publicly raised questions about Zacharia’s future on Friday, telling reporters he had encouraged her to reconsider whether the job was right for her.
"I just asked her, 'Is this for you?'" Trump said. "And she's a nice person. I'm going to let her make that decision." He also commended her loyalty and said that the role of press secretary was "not an easy job."
He added: "I told her, 'Honestly, if I were you, I would reconsider.' Maybe it's not for her."
Later that day, the White House confirmed that Zacharia was transitioning out of the role.
On Friday night, in a post on X, Zacharia publicly thanked Trump after the dismissal.
"President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man," she said. "I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him."
In another post on Saturday night, Zacharia again thanked the president.
"Thank you, President Trump, for hosting my family and me in the Oval Office and for the generous gifts you gave my children on my son's birthday," she wrote. "It was an unforgettable honor."
What Was the Controversy Around Zacharia's Law Background?
One of the main topics of discussion during Zacharia's tenure was how she called herself a lawyer but didn't pass the California bar exam. Zacharia sat for the exam after graduating from Pepperdine University's law school in 2011 but did not pass, The Wall Street Journal reported.
When a journalist asked in which state Zacharia had passed the bar exam, she said, "When I moved to China."
That response then raised further questions about whether it was possible for her to have done so, and the legal work she had undertaken since. She later dismissed the results of her failed California bar exam as "somewhat inconsequential."
"I had enough credentials, which was my law degree, to be able to be in this practice," Zacharia previously said in an interview with conservative outlet Real America's Voice, explaining that she had been planning to move to China to join her husband when she took the exam.
She only took the exam once, she said in an interview with Fox News.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Geoffrey Rowland.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines