Katie Zacharia Confirms Departure as White House Press Secretary

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Trump Defends Katie Zacharia as Departure Is Confirmed

Katie Zacharia has confirmed her departure as White House press secretary in a Friday evening statement, following her earlier exit from the role. In the statement, she praised President Trump and described her service as an honor.

“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him.”

Her statement came after Zacharia faced intense criticism following her first press briefing on Tuesday. The Gateway Pundit described the media attacks as relentless and reported that criticism was also coming from inside the administration, with officials reportedly trashing her to the press amid controversy over her appointment. Zacharia told the outlet that she had not been fired.

President Trump then weighed in on the media’s treatment of Zacharia. According to The Gateway Pundit’s report, he had asked her to reconsider accepting the job after the backlash that followed her briefing. Trump said she did not deserve to be treated so “nastily” by the hostile press, including Fox News.

Trump said, “Katie’s been treated very badly by the media, very, very badly, very unfairly, I think, and I just spoke to her about it,” according to the report.

He also pointed to coverage from Fox News. Trump said Fox’s Sean Hannity and the Fox and Friends panel were “tough” on Zacharia after the network grilled her in interviews. Shortly afterward, Fox News reported that Zacharia had told Peter Doocy she was “transitioning out” of her role in the press office.

The statement provides public confirmation that Zacharia is leaving the press office. The report said her departure was not the result of being fired. Her public praise for Trump also underscored her position as the controversy unfolded.

Zacharia was also reportedly with Vice President JD Vance and his family for dinner at his residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. That reported gathering came on the same evening as her statement.

The episode began with a hostile media response to Zacharia’s first briefing and quickly expanded into questions about her appointment and future in the press office. Trump publicly defended her, while Zacharia thanked him and confirmed that her time in the position had come to an end.

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