U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed White House press secretary Katie Zakaria just five days after she took office, The Guardian reports.
According to the outlet, the personnel decision followed criticism of Zakaria’s first appearance before the press. Her debut briefing on October 13 lasted only 14 minutes, during which she took questions from just three media outlets.
Shortly before news of her dismissal emerged, Trump publicly mentioned that he had advised Zakaria to reconsider her decision to serve as press secretary, citing the harsh criticism she faced from the media. At the same time, the president noted that he holds a favorable view of her.
Katie Zakaria faced backlash following her initial briefing. According to MS NOW, despite some public praise, members of the Trump administration were dissatisfied with her performance and had even threatened her with termination. Zakaria subsequently deleted photos of herself in a bikini from her social media accounts; however, this did not shield her from further media scrutiny. Journalists also discovered that the White House official had failed the bar exam, despite having previously identified herself as a lawyer.
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