Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary, less than one week into assuming the key role. Her appointment had come months after Karoline Leavitt, a long time adviser of US President Donald Trump, left the post in August.
A report has now revealed the moment she was called in for a chat with US Vice President JD Vance and subsequently told she is being let go. According to Wall Street Journal, Zacharia was seated for an interview with the publication when she was interrupted by Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump.
“JD wanted to chat with us real quick,” Miller said referring to the vice president, WSJ said in a report. She never returned to continue the interview or her job as Trump's press secretary, the publication further said.
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It was not clear in the report what Miller told Zacharia or what conversation did she have with the vice president. However, according to an AP report, Zacharia had dinner with JD Vance and his family on Friday evening.
‘Running on no sleep and high adrenaline’
Katie Zacharia was reportedly feeling weary at around midday on Friday, before her exit. “I’m just running on no sleep and high adrenaline and probably too much caffeine and no food,” she was quoted as saying by WSJ.
{{/usCountry}}Katie Zacharia was reportedly feeling weary at around midday on Friday, before her exit. “I’m just running on no sleep and high adrenaline and probably too much caffeine and no food,” she was quoted as saying by WSJ.
{{/usCountry}}Zacharia had been under scrutiny ever since her inaugural briefing as the press secretary. She took questions from just three reporters during her nearly 15-minute media interaction on Monday.
Also Read: Laura Loomer eyes White House press secretary role after Katie Zacharia's exit
She later traveled with Trump when he held rallies on Wednesday and Thursday in Alaska, Arizona and Montana — but did not hold more press briefings, AP reported.
“I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me,” she said in a rocky Fox News interview by Sean Hannity, who is known to be friendly with Trump.
“Why not just say, ‘I went to Pepperdine law school and then took a different career path and I took the bar once and didn’t pass it?’” Hannity asked her amid criticism over her allegedly not clearing the bar exam in California and yet referring to herself as a lawyer.
Also Read: Susie Wiles helped arrange Katie Zacharia’s Fox News interview before her exit: Report
‘Is this for you Katie?’
Reports of Katie Zacharia “transitioning out” of her press secretary role emerged on Friday. According to AFP, Trump had made it clear he was ready to see the spokesperson go amid criticism over her professional background and much-mocked first press briefing.
"I said, 'Katie, is this for you?,'" Trump told reporters. "I said, 'Katie, you don't have to do this'...I said to her, 'Honestly if I were you I'd reconsider.'"
Apart from appearing to not be honest about failing a bar exam and being mocked over her first media interaction, Zacharia further stirred controversy on Thursday when she disparaged China, weeks after Trump hosted Xi Jinping in Washington.
"I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, 'How is China the next country on the horizon? They don't even have proper toilets,'" she said in an interview. According to AFP, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reacted to her remarks, urging Zacharia to “visit China more often.”