Zacharia speaks out after White House press secretary exit: ‘It was an honor’

Katie Zacharia issued her first public statement Friday night after a White House official announced she’d be “transitioning out” of the press secretary post after just five days in the role.

In a post on the social media platform X , Zacharia praised President Trump’s leadership, saying, “It was an honor to work for him.”

“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man,” she wrote in her post, which included a picture of herself and Trump in the Oval Office.

She continued, “I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.”

Zacharia’s departure follows the president’s remarks to reporters on Friday that he had advised her to “reconsider” the position. The former political commentator has now logged the shortest press secretary tenure in the position’s history.

Her exit also followed a wave of scrutiny over a shaky debut press conference , which lasted 14 minutes and included only three questions from conservative-leaning outlets, as well as skepticism over her legal background.

Zacharia, who replaced former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, had presented herself as a lawyer during her TV appearances. When asked by a reporter on Tuesday about which state she passed the bar exam in, Zacharia responded, “When I moved to China.”

However, the Wall Street Journal reported later that evening that she had failed the exam , prompting watchdog group Campaign for Accountability to file a complaint with the State Bar of California on Wednesday over her claims that she is a lawyer.

In an interview with conservative outlet Real America’s Voice, Zacharia said she “misheard” the question but added that her bar exam results were “inconsequential” because she moved to China with her husband for work after graduation.

Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director during Trump’s first term for 11 days, responded to Zacharia’s departure on Friday.

“Records are made to be broken,” Scaramucci wrote on social media . “But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”