‘I’d reconsider’: Trump raises questions over Katie Zacharia’s future as press secretary
REPORTER: “You’re saying you’re considering a new role for [Katie Zacharia]?” PRESIDENT TRUMP: “I said, 'when I get back, we're going to talk,' because I don't think that Katie should be made to suffer like she's suffering at the hands of the press.” “So I will talk to her as soon as I get back.”
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 16, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: Only days after newly appointed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia held her first press briefing at the White House podium, President Donald Trump cast doubt on her future in the role.
Trump's remarks came after a White House official reportedly warned that Zacharia needed to improve quickly or risk losing her job, just hours after her debut briefing.
Trump says Zacharia can ‘reconsider’ her role as press secretary
President Trump told reporters on Friday, Oct 16, that he had advised Katie Zacharia to “reconsider” her position as White House press secretary following her difficult start in the role.
“I said, ‘honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,'” Trump told reporters, describing a conversation he said he had with Zacharia earlier that day.
“I said, ‘you think about it, but I would reconsider,'” he continued.
The president said he had spoken to Zacharia shortly before addressing reporters and had told her that she did not have to remain in the position if she did not want to.
"Maybe it’s not for her," Trump acknowledged.
When asked whether he was considering another role for Zacharia, Trump said he planned to discuss the matter with her after returning from his trip.
“I said, 'when I get back, we're going to talk,' because I don't think that Katie should be made to suffer like she's suffering at the hands of the press,” Trump said.
“So, I will talk to her as soon as I get back,” President added.
Trump was scheduled to travel to Georgia for a rally before heading to Florida for much of the weekend.
Trump said he wanted Zacharia “to be happy” and argued that news organizations had treated her unfairly.
WH official warns Zacharia could lose her job after briefing
After Katie Zacharia held her first press briefing on Tuesday, Oct 13, questions about whether she is refined enough for the job role were raised.
The criticism reportedly came from within the White House.
The anonymous official told MS NOW’s Jake Traylor that Zacharia, 41, risked setting a new record for the shortest tenure in a senior White House communications role, surpassing former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.
Scaramucci’s tenure lasted for only 10 days during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.
Quote from a WH official just now following Katie Zacharia's first press briefing: "Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she'll break Scaramucci's record."
— Jake Traylor (@jake__traylor) October 13, 2026
“Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record,” the source told Traylor.
