In The News 17 October 2026

New White House press secretary is out

The Highland County Press - Staff Photo - Create Article
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia delivers her first White House press briefing, Oct. 13. (Sarah Roderick-Fitch / The Center Square.)

By Morgan Sweeney
The Center Square

Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary, a White House official confirmed to The Center Square Friday.

President Donald Trump told reporters Friday he had allowed Zacharia to “reconsider” the role, and the White House confirmed shortly afterward that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the job.

She spent just five days in the role and held her first White House press briefing Tuesday. Zacharia took questions from only three reporters, one of whom was chosen by the White House for its new media seat, and wrapped up the briefing in roughly 15 minutes. 

Zacharia came to the White House from Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, where she worked as a senior communications adviser, according to her LinkedIn profile. Although she graduated from Pepperdine University's law school in 2011, her legal credentials came under scrutiny amid reports that she was never admitted to practice law in the United States. Zacharia acknowledged Thursday on Fox News' "Hannity" that she failed the California bar exam but has maintained that she worked in international transactional law in China.

Zacharia replaced former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt after Leavitt resigned, citing a desire to spend more time with her family.
 

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