Katie Zacharia’s time as White House press secretary was over almost before it began, culminating in her leaving the position a mere five days after accepting it.
Now Karoline Leavitt, who held the job for more than a year and a half, has given her verdict on her successor’s short-lived tenure, and she didn’t hold back.
Zacharia started as press secretary on Monday, October 12. By the end of that week, she was gone. Her stint is thought to be the shortest in the history of the role.
Her first press briefing drew heavy criticism, and was quickly followed by two Fox News interviews later that week went badly as well. She also faced questions about her legal credentials, with reports emerging claiming that she had not passed the California bar exam. Zacharia said she instead practised law in China, but the masses, it seemed, weren’t convinced.
Days after her appointment, Donald Trump publicly suggested she reconsider whether to stay in the role, but CNN reported, citing advisers, that the POTUS had fired her. Speaking to reporters after the fact, Trump said she had been treated “very, very unfairly” by the media.
One person who knows the pressure Zacharia was under better than anyone on earth is Karoline Leavitt. The 29-year-old held the press secretary role at the White House until earlier this year, and told Fox News that it’s impossible to know how someone will perform until they actually step up to the podium.
“We wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well,” she said.
According to the New York Post, a new press secretary isn’t expected to be named until after next month’s midterm elections.
“I’ve offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well,” Leavitt said.
“I’ll keep my private counsel to the president private, but I do obviously talk to him about what the job entails, and he knows it very well.
“Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight.
“There’s plenty of people who want the job. It’s just up to the president to make that decision.”
Several names are being mentioned as possible replacements. They include Leavitt’s former deputy, Anna Kelly; CNN commentator Scott Jennings, who was seen as a frontrunner before Zacharia was picked; and former Republican National Committee spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko.
Leavitt left the White House in August to spend more time with her family after the birth of her second child. She will start as an on-air contributor at Fox News on November 1.
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