Karoline Leavitt has delivered a blunt assessment of Katie Zacharia’s five-day tenure as White House press secretary.
Leavitt, 27, who held the same post before stepping down in August, said that the demanding role “obviously was not for” Zacharia, 42, after the latter’s abrupt departure last week. The former spokesperson added that she is now actively helping President Donald Trump identify a permanent replacement, though no appointment is expected until after next month’s midterm elections.
The job requires extensive preparation, Leavitt explained, and sometimes a candidate’s suitability only becomes apparent once they face the press corps. “We wish Katie the best,” she continued. “The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well.”
Leavitt, who left the position to spend more time with her two children, described the post as “one of the hardest jobs in politics.” She has offered Trump her counsel on selecting a successor who can withstand intense scrutiny.
“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,” she said. “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.”
She noted that interest in the position remains strong. “There’s plenty of people who want the job. It’s just up to the president to make that decision.”
Zacharia’s exit came after Trump himself suggested she reconsider. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, the president recounted telling her: “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” He added that he felt she had been treated unfairly by the press during her brief time in the role.
Following her departure, Zacharia took to X to post a glowing tribute to Trump. “President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man,” she wrote. “I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.”
The five-day tenure made Zacharia one of the shortest-serving press secretaries in modern White House history. The position has remained vacant since her exit, with Leavitt assisting in the search for a candidate capable of navigating the administration’s contentious relationship with the media.
Trump is expected to delay any announcement on Zacharia’s replacement until after the midterm elections conclude.