President Trump said Friday he is urging Katie Zacharia to reconsider her new role as White House press secretary after less than a week on the job.
Trump, 78, spoke to reporters outside the White House before departing for a campaign appearance in Georgia. He confirmed he had just finished a conversation with Zacharia, who started the position on Monday, about whether the high-profile post was right for her. “Katie’s been treated very badly by the media. Very, very badly, very unfairly, I think. And I just spoke to her about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’ Because, you know, she’s been treated very rough. And she’s a nice person,” he said.
The president singled out Fox News personalities for their treatment of the new press secretary. He noted that Sean Hannity “was a little bit tough” on her Thursday night and that the “Fox & Friends” hosts “were a little tough” Friday morning. These interviews followed what was widely seen as a nervous 14-minute initial press briefing on Tuesday.
Trump framed the pressure on Zacharia as unnecessarily harsh. “She’s been treated, I would say, pretty nastily,” he told reporters. “I said to Katie two minutes ago, I said, ‘Katie, you know, you don’t need to do this if you don’t want.’ She said, ‘This is a lot tougher.’ I said, ‘Welcome to the world of Trump.'”
The president indicated that Zacharia will be “transitioning out” of the press secretary role, per Fox News reporting he referenced. When asked directly whether he would keep her in the position, Trump responded, “I don’t know, we’ll see. I’m going to let her make that decision.” Yet he simultaneously suggested the outcome was largely settled. “When I get back, we’re going to talk. Because I don’t think that Katie should be made to suffer like she’s suffering at the hands of the press. So I will talk to her as soon as I get back,” he continued.
Trump emphasized his desire to retain Zacharia elsewhere in his administration. “I intend to keep her in some form, but maybe a more pleasant form,” he shared. He also floated the idea that others would eagerly take the press secretary job, adding, “A lot of people want the job. I bet you’d want it if I offered it to her.”
The president repeatedly returned to Zacharia’s personal circumstances as part of his case for her departure from the communications role. “I just think the press has been very tough on Katie, and I said, ‘There’s no reason for you to have to do this. You’ve got a beautiful family, a fantastic husband and kids,'” he stated.
Trump’s comments came after days of scrutiny focused on Zacharia’s legal background and her brief, limited debut press briefing that drew harsh reviews from media observers across the political spectrum.
Trump is scheduled to appear at his campaign event in Georgia on Friday.