Katie Zacharia Breaks Silence After Five-Day Press Secretary Stint, Praises Trump

WASHINGTON — One day after leaving her post as White House press secretary after five days, Katie Zacharia shared a photo of herself with President Donald Trump on Friday night and praised him as “kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man.”

“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,” Zacharia wrote in the post, shared on X and Instagram. The photo showed her smiling while standing beside Trump, seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, with a map on his desk blurred out. The post had drawn 7.2 million views by Saturday morning, according to the New York Post.

What the statement said

The post made no reference to the circumstances of her departure, and Zacharia did not say whether she resigned or was dismissed. It also contrasted with the post pinned atop her account since Oct. 9, which the Post reported showed screenshots of Trump congratulating her on her appointment as press secretary.

The 41-year-old mother of four had replaced Karoline Leavitt, 29, who stepped down at the end of August after the birth of her daughter to spend more time with her family, according to The Sun.

How the five days ended

Zacharia left her post Friday after two difficult interviews on Fox News, the New York Post reported. On Thursday night’s “Hannity,” host Sean Hannity said her first and only White House press briefing, a 14-minute appearance on Tuesday, had been “widely panned,” and pressed her on describing herself as an attorney despite failing to pass the California bar after graduating from law school. On Friday morning’s “Fox & Friends,” she struggled to deliver talking points about the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home and could not say when her next briefing would take place.

Hours later, Trump told reporters before departing the White House for a rally in Georgia: “I’ve watched her for years on television, but I said, ‘Is this for you, Katie? Because honestly, you don’t need this.'” The Sun quoted him as telling her: “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to … honestly if I were you I’d reconsider.”

Behind the scenes, the end came abruptly. The Post reported that Zacharia was sitting with the Wall Street Journal for a White House interview on Friday when she was summoned away to learn her assignment had ended; she did not return to the interview. A source familiar with the situation told the Post she was expected to transition to a new role, and that she dined Friday night with Vice President JD Vance.

As for what comes next, the Post reported that CNN commentator Scott Jennings, who is close to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, is among those mentioned as possible successors; Jennings diverted when asked on air Friday whether he was interested. Separately, The Sun reported that Politico, citing two people familiar with the situation, said Wiles had helped arrange Zacharia’s Thursday interview with Hannity, described as a “sanctioned hit” — and that the Daily Mail, citing senior administration officials, claimed Wiles had given the “kill order” and set a “trap” by arranging the appearance.

Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post and The Sun.