New revelations have emerged about the firing of Katie Zakaria, who served as White House press secretary for just 5 days. The Wall Street Journal has revealed that Zakaria had no idea she was about to be fired — at the very moment Donald Trump was dismissing her on air, she was sitting in her office giving an interview to the WSJ.
While Zakaria had welcomed Wall Street Journal reporters into her West Wing office to discuss her plans for the press secretary role and her relationship with Donald Trump, Senior White House adviser Jason Miller knocked on her door and told her that Vice President JD Vance wanted to speak with her.
She got up and left the room. At that same moment, Donald Trump was heading to the White House’s new helipad when he referenced an earlier conversation he had with his press secretary: “I said, ‘Is this for you, Katie? Because, honestly, you don’t need it.'” Zakaria never returned to her seat — or to her interview.
The timeline of Katie Zakaria’s dismissal
Friday had started for Zakaria with every indication that her White House tenure was just beginning. That morning, she attended a communications team meeting in the Roosevelt Room, where she introduced herself to her new colleagues and expressed her enthusiasm about taking on her new responsibilities.
According to people who were present, she arrived late to the meeting, after all seats had already been taken, and stood at the back of the room until White House Communications Director Steven Cheung gave her the floor. She told the team she was eager to get to know them and work alongside them, and those in attendance noted that she was greeted with applause.
Shortly afterward, she was back at her desk, giving the unfinished interview to the Wall Street Journal.
Later that same afternoon, following her removal, Zakaria told the Wall Street Journal: “I did my best to conduct a press briefing with the limited time and information I had available to me. My goal was to serve President Trump and the American people to the best of my ability.”
The first press briefing and its fallout
Zakaria’s tenure had already drawn criticism as early as Tuesday, when she held her first White House press briefing. The appearance lasted less than 15 minutes and sparked backlash over how she handled reporters’ questions.
She had been informed that she would be leading the briefing shortly before Trump announced her selection via a post on Truth Social. She had less than 24 hours to prepare, and only received her briefing materials the morning of the press conference itself. She chose to read from prepared notes as a way of managing the pressure of having had so little time to get ready.
Despite the criticism, Zakaria did not believe the White House was wrong to send her into the briefing room so quickly. “I’m not going to blame the White House,” she said.
The law degree and the China question
Another issue that sparked controversy involved her professional background. When asked which state bar she had passed, she responded “when I moved to China,” later claiming she had misunderstood the question.
The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that Zakaria had never passed the bar exam to practice law in California, despite having previously referred to herself as a lawyer.
It is worth noting that in China, no one can practice law unless they hold Chinese citizenship.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump had told associates he did not believe Zakaria had the talent required for the role. The poor reception of her first press briefing and her television appearances further undermined her position.
The backstory of her selection
Zakaria, 41, had limited experience in a comparable role before joining the White House. Her professional background consisted primarily of television appearances on pro-Trump media outlets, along with a six-week stint at the Department of Homeland Security.
She had said the press secretary role was her dream job. “I wanted this job from the moment I met him,” she told conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on Thursday.
Her selection was made personally by Trump, and according to the report, some people close to the White House felt the decision suggested the president had not necessarily sought the input of his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, on certain appointments. A senior White House official pushed back on that assessment, arguing that senior staff had been enthusiastic about the hire and fully supported the president’s decision.
Zakaria had previously worked as a spokeswoman at the Department of Homeland Security, where she had been hired by former Secretary Kristi Noem. According to a friend of hers, Noem had told Trump she would be “fantastic” for the role. Newsmax host Greg Kelly had also championed her candidacy, the report noted.
Her television appearances defending the president appear to have played a significant role in her selection. A senior White House official said that one of Trump’s top aides had shown him clips of her Fox News appearances.
However, Zakaria reportedly had few allies in the West Wing. According to the report, her supporters argued that she was not given adequate backing, while some officials turned against her quickly, feeling she had not been sufficiently prepared ahead of her first press briefing.
