Katie Zacharia’s Fox News bookings backfire as texts reveal final days before White House exit
WASHINGTON, DC: Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia pushed to arrange two Fox News appearances in the days before leaving her role after just five days, according to text messages obtained by the New York Post.
The interviews with Sean Hannity and 'Fox & Friends' came after a rocky first briefing and drew scrutiny over her explanation of her failure to pass the California bar exam.
According to the messages, Zacharia requested additional television appearances herself, challenging suggestions that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had orchestrated the interviews to undermine her.
Katie Zacharia pushes for Fox News appearances
In a text message to a White House official on Wednesday, October 14, Zacharia wrote, “I’d like to do news hits morning and evening,” according to the outlet. The appearances were ultimately scheduled for Thursday night, October 15, and Friday morning, October 16, after being postponed by a day.
The messages also indicate that Zacharia was seeking television exposure as early as Tuesday, October 13, the day of her first White House briefing. A producer for Hannity’s Fox News program wrote that day, “Katie said she can join us from the rally tonight.”
The interviews followed Zacharia’s difficult debut at the White House podium, where she delivered prepared remarks and took questions for roughly five and a half minutes.
Katie Zacharia says she never retook the bar exam, but maintains she had a legitimate basis for calling herself a lawyer during television appearances. The Pepperdine Law graduate tells @seanhannity she consulted attorneys before using the title, citing her law degree and previous legal experience. Zacharia says she wasn't practicing law or getting paid to provide legal advice, insisting her television appearances focused on general analysis of legal matters.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 16, 2026
During her Thursday appearance on Sean Hannity’s show, Zacharia struggled to address questions about her legal background and failure to pass the California bar exam.
She also appeared to have difficulty moving beyond prepared talking points on other issues.
Hannity questioned whether she believed White House staff had failed to prepare her adequately for the briefing.
Zacharia responded, “Given the fact that I’d been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day.”
Hannity followed up by asking whether she was suggesting that staff should have prepared her better.
NEW: "Do you wish you would have disclosed to the president about the bar and not passing the bar?" @LawrenceBJones3 puts new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia on the spot, asking whether she regrets not telling President Trump about failing to pass the bar exam. "Those questions weren't asked." Zacharia maintains she was hired to represent the president in the press, not to serve as his legal counsel. | @foxandfriends
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 16, 2026
During her Friday morning appearance on 'Fox & Friends,' host Lawrence Jones asked whether she wished she had disclosed to President Donald Trump that she had not passed the bar exam.
“Well, Lawrence, those questions weren’t asked,” Zacharia replied.
Susie Wiles’ role in Katie Zacharia’s exit questioned
The interviews fueled speculation about whether the appearances had been arranged to expose Zacharia’s weaknesses.
However, the text messages also showed Zacharia pursuing the bookings herself and did not indicate that Wiles had played a role in arranging them.
The White House rejected claims that Wiles was involved in Zacharia’s downfall, describing them as “hit jobs” and a “smear,” according to the Post.
Trump also said Friday there was “zero chance” of replacing Wiles and that she was “going to be here for a long time.”
Katie Zacharia leaves White House job after five days
Trump offered Zacharia the press secretary position the previous Friday. She had been a relatively little-known, unpaid Fox News commentator before her appointment and delivered only one White House briefing before leaving the job.
During remarks to reporters on Friday, Trump said he had advised her to reconsider the position, telling her, “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.”
Zacharia announced her departure later that day. In a social media post, she described working for Trump as an honor.
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany commented on Zacharia’s brief tenure during an appearance on Fox News Saturday. McEnany said she wanted to give people taking on the demanding role some grace, noting that she had about two weeks to prepare before her own first briefing.
“That was pretty much doomed from the start to roll out to the press,” McEnany said.
Zacharia was also reported to have dined with Vice President JD Vance on Friday night. When asked on Saturday about what role she might take on next, she did not provide details.
