Katie Zacharia reveals her biggest lessons from doomed White House press secretary stint
Official who served as President Donald Trump’s spokesperson for just five days tells columnist friend about brief but intense experience in the media glare
Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has revealed the biggest lesson she learned from her brief tenure as President Donald Trump’s spokesperson, which came to an abrupt end Friday.
Speaking to Joel Pollak, opinion editor of The California Post, for an op-ed titled “The Katie Zacharia I Know,” the 42 year-old said: “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.”
Asked if she had any regrets about her moment in the spotlight, Zacharia added: “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.”
The president announced Zacharia as Karoline Leavitt’s successor in a message on Truth Social on Friday October 9 after being impressed with her appearances as a pundit on conservative media speaking out in his defense.
Zacharia’s opening press conference in the James S Brady Briefing Room lasted just 14 minutes and saw her stumble through a prepared statement, take questions from only three reporters and accidentally refer to her husband as “my president.”
“When President Donald Trump named her his new press secretary, everyone who had worked with her had nothing but praise for her,” he wrote in the Post.
“But this is politics, and there is nothing more dangerous to Washington than an outsider — in this case, a mother of four from California — elevated to the inner circle.
“There was also plenty of jealousy in pundit land from those who quietly coveted Zacharia’s new job.”
Questions soon began to arise about whether she had the legal experience she claimed and whether or not she had passed the bar exam and was entitled to call herself an attorney.
Zacharia had not, it transpired, an issue she struggled to clarify in appearances on Fox News with Sean Hannity and the morning hosts on Fox and Friends, ultimately prompting Trump to call time on her after barely a week.
“The legal brouhaha was a red herring,” Pollak believes. “Zacharia’s real sin may have been to irritate the wrong people.”
Zacharia was reportedly sitting down for an interview with The Wall Street Journal when she heard the news, which left her the shortest-serving member of Trump’s two administrations, her five day run less than half the length of the previous record-holder Anthony Scaramucci.
She has, however, shown a sense of humor about her ordeal and acknowledged the inevitably of being ridiculed on comedy shows, suggesting Scarlett Johansson could play her on Saturday Night Live.
The White House has meanwhile turned its attention towards finding a replacement with the midterms fast approaching. Jennings, ex-Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo and staffers Anna Kelly and Margo Martin are said to be in the frame.
