WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signaled Friday that his embattled new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, may be on her way out — a mere week after he picked her for the post.
Zacharia had come under immediate scrutiny when she appeared uncomfortable during her inaugural briefing on Tuesday, delivering halting remarks touting the president and his accomplishments. Her 14-minute briefing was followed by criticism that the conservative commentator had long called herself a lawyer when she had not passed a bar exam nor was otherwise credentialed to practice.
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White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, center, White House aide Natalie Harp, left, and Danielle Alvarez, right, walk on the South Lawn as they arrive at the White House with President Donald Trump, early Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, center, White House aide Natalie Harp, left, and Danielle Alvarez, right, walk on the South Lawn as they arrive at the White House with President Donald Trump, early Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump speaks to the reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington, as White House press secretary Katie Zacharia looks on. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia arrives with President Donald Trump at Glacier Park International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Kalispell, Mont. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Zacharia was a surprise choice when Trump announced her appointment on Oct. 9, as the successor to Karoline Leavitt, the youngest-ever White House press secretary who had been part of Trump’s inner circle for years. The chaos surrounding her appointment was reminiscent of some of Trump’s short-lived staff picks from his first term.
Trump said he told Zacharia that she might want to change her mind about the job, and said he thought she had been treated unfairly by the press.
“I told her, ‘I think you’re better off being happy,'” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn as he left for a rally in Georgia. “I said, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.’ I said, ‘You think about it, but I would reconsider.’”
Messages to Zacharia seeking comment were not returned on Friday, and the White House offered no immediate comment.
In his own comments, Trump said he told his press secretary, "'Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this,’” and that he wanted "her to have a good life” and not be subjected to criticism, which he likened to being “brutalized by the media.”
The president said he’d make a final determination later, perhaps after his campaign travel on Friday and this weekend, adding, “When I get back, we’re gonna talk.” He was asked who might replace Zacharia, and said that there were a lot of people who wanted the job.
Zacharia's short tenure has been defined by questions about her professional background and lack of polish in fielding questions from journalists. In her briefing on Tuesday, she took questions from just three reporters, all from conservative-leaning or Trump-friendly outlets, and left after only about 14 minutes.
Zacharia has said she wanted to keep her briefing short to ensure Trump had enough time later that morning for his own question-and-answer session with reporters, and that she had not been fully briefed by White House staff beforehand.
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.
In an appearance on Fox News Channel earlier Friday, Zacharia was asked if she had the president’s confidence and responded: “I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me.” But she also wouldn't say when her next press briefing might be.
Zacharia, a Pepperdine University law graduate, also faced criticism for describing herself as a lawyer when appearing as a commentator on conservative television outlets. Zacharia said the term was a proper one to use when she was offering legal analysis, and said she had worked as a lawyer in China.
Zacharia said Friday on Fox News that she wasn’t asked about passing the bar before becoming press secretary, and Trump noted in his subsequent comments that she was hired as a spokesperson for the White House, not as an attorney.
Before joining the White House, Zacharia had been working in communications for Trump Media, the company that oversees the president’s social media site, Truth Social. She also briefly worked at the Department of Homeland Security during the second Trump administration.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, center, White House aide Natalie Harp, left, and Danielle Alvarez, right, walk on the South Lawn as they arrive at the White House with President Donald Trump, early Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump speaks to the reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington, as White House press secretary Katie Zacharia looks on. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia arrives with President Donald Trump at Glacier Park International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Kalispell, Mont. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that his newly minted press secretary, Katie Zacharia, might not stay on the job much longer. Trump said he told Zacharia that she didn’t have to do this job and that if he were her, he would reconsider the position. Zacharia faced mounting questions about her background and resume during her first week on the job.
Trump made the comment to reporters as he departed Washington to campaign in Georgia on Friday for a rally with top Republican candidates in a state that has long been the epicenter of the president’s false claims about election fraud.
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The Georgia governor candidate had five minutes on the same stage where Trump will speak later Friday, and he did not mention the president at all.
That’s a notable turn for a billionaire businessman who’s compared his bid to Trump’s 2016 campaign, promised to be “this guy’s favorite governor” and lead “like Trump, but with a Southern tone.”
Jackson did remind the crowd in Dalton that he has the support of outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
“I am proud to have Gov. Kemp’s endorsement” and that “he is trusting me” with the job, Jackson said, promising “we’re going to take Georgia to the next level.”
It’s not clear whether Jackson will return to the stage with the president when Trump arrives.
Trump told reporters at the White House he had been briefed on the shooting and praised the actions of a “great hero” who he said “took care of business.”
“It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it,” Trump said, saying the tragedy otherwise likely would have been much worse.
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Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer as she has worked to establish herself as a commentator for conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax.
But so far, she and the White House have offered no evidence that she passed the bar exam in any state or in China, where she worked for a large law firm years ago.
The questions added to the confusion surrounding Trump’s decision to hire Zacharia, who had worked for his social media company for only a few months when he announced her appointment and whose debut at the podium on Tuesday has been widely panned.
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Trump told reporters Friday that he didn’t order restrictions on a satellite communications system that is used by Ukraine’s military, cutting connections to some of its drones.
The president also doubted the disruption came from Elon Musk, who owns Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication.
The sudden restrictions had alarmed Ukraine’s military and government officials this week, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions. The restrictions cut the connection to drones when they flew faster than 160 kph.
“Well, I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump said outside the White House before leaving for Georgia. “And from what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been.”
Some of the president’s most faithful supporters gathered in Dalton, Georgia, say they don’t understand the widespread frustrations over the economy. And where there are problems, they place elsewhere.
“I think it’s a heck of a lot better than it was under Joe Biden. That’s for sure. Or any other Democrat president for that matter,” argued Dianne Leveridge, who said voted for Trump three times would do it again if she could.
Leveridge acknowledged high gas prices but said “the oil’s moving” and that “the oil companies aren’t playing fair.”
Cindy Massengill, 67, said Trump is “doing as good as he can do with the fight he has to fight” against Democrats in Congress.
Republicans control the House and Senate.
Alabama and Arizona officials said their election agencies were among several that received letter s with the substance this week. In both cases, the states said the substance was tested and found to be safe.
Wisconsin officials on Thursday said they had a similar finding after testing powder sent to them.
That doesn’t mean the incidents aren’t serious, said Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes at a press conference Friday.
“Yesterday’s attack was not a harmless prank,” Fontes said. “It was an apparent attempt to disrupt our elections and intimidate the public servants who make them possible. And while we are grateful that the contents of the package were not harmful, the fear it caused was real. But, let me be absolutely clear: We will not be intimidated.”
The president, gaggling with reporters ahead of his departure to Georgia on Friday, said he planned to talk with his newly minted press secretary about whether she would stay in the job.
“I told Katie in my opinion she was treated very unfairly,” Trump said, noting that Zacharia has been “brutalized by the media.”
Trump said he told Zacharia that she didn’t have to do this job and that if he were her, he would reconsider the position.
“I just think the press has been very tough on Katie and I said, ‘there’s no reason you have to go through this,’ ” he said.
The Republican congressman and Senate hopeful said he has no reservations about supporting Trump’s actions against Tehran, regardless of the economic fallout.
“I will never side with an Islamic regime terrorist that at the end of the day wants to kill us,” he said. “I’ve got kids and grandkids, and I don’t want them to grow up with this mess.”
Asked specifically if higher prices — on diesel, gasoline and other products — have been worth it, Collins responded, “The high price is our future. The high price is my kids being able to grow up. Those people were close to getting a nuclear weapon, and they would have used it.”
There is no public evidence for Collins’ assessment of Iran’s nuclear program, and it runs counter to those of the U.N. nuclear watchdog and U.S. intelligence agencies.
The Republican congressman will need more than core Trump voters to defeat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
But Collins said Friday in Dalton, Georgia, that he’s thrilled to have Trump in the state. Collins added a message for any Republican or conservative who thinks he should separate himself from Trump.
“I tell ’em they’re going to lose, because we’re going to win this race,” Collins said. “We’ve got the votes. They’re there. This state is red. We just gotta make sure that people understand it’s time to go vote.”
Collins acknowledged the obvious spending gap with Ossoff. The incumbent has raised more than $80 million and could surpassed the $100 million mark. Collins, meanwhile, has depended almost entirely on national Senate Republican PACs for his TV advertising.
“We knew we were always going to be outspent,” Collins said. “But I guarantee you one thing: Ain’t nobody gonna outwork me.”
Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Havana’s diplomat to the U.N., told reporters that his American counterparts are planning to hold an event Monday at the world body under the guise of highlighting Cuba’s so-called oppression.
“It is a politically motivated exercise, organized in a questionable manner whose clear purpose is to target Cuba, promote a hostile narrative against our country, and use the premises of the United Nations to advance political agenda of the United States government against a sovereign member state,” he said in his remarks, while holding a copy of the U.S. invitation sent out to other member states.
The press statement reflects the heightened tensions between U.S. and Cuba as the Trump administration continues to impose a punishing oil blockade against the island country while officials mull whether to pursue regime change.
Asked on “Fox & Friends” if she had the president’s confidence after a rocky start to her job, including scrutiny over claims that she’s a lawyer, the new White House press secretary said: “I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me.”
She also said she wasn’t asked about passing the bar before getting the job. It’s unclear when the next press briefing will be, she said.
Zacharia was also asked about the administration’s investigation into Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and declined to answer questions, deferring to the Justice Department.
Trump took time away from campaigning for the midterm elections to have dinner Thursday with Kid Rock, comedian Bill Maher and sports analyst Stephen A. Smith.
Speaking Friday on “Fox & Friends,” Kid Rock called the meal “epic” and said they had some laughs and tough conversations.
“One thing we all wholeheartedly agreed on is that socialism and communism has no place to have a foothold in our government,” he said.
The musician also said that the president seeking to end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts — frequently referred to as DEI — could hurt donations to historically Black colleges and universities.
“I’ll go out on a limb and say, I’m speaking for President Trump and the administration, saying, no, no. Not only do we support, we want to encourage corporations to continue funding HBCUs and donating to them because we know how important education is,” he said.
Of all the Republican members of Congress who represent swing districts, there may be none as closely linked to President Donald Trump as Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
Perry backed Trump’s signature tax-cutting laws in 2017 and 2025. He’s aggressively defended Trump’s war with Iran. And when Trump tried to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory in 2020, Perry sought to invalidate Pennsylvania’s electoral votes and elevate an acting attorney general who would act on conspiracy theories.
Now the question is whether Perry’s ties to Trump will be his undoing in a midterm election where the president is dramatically unpopular and Perry faces a second challenge from Democrat Janelle Stelson after he narrowly defeated the former local television anchor two years ago.
Asked if he needed to differentiate himself from an unpopular Trump to win, Perry brushed off the question.
“I speak for myself. I don’t speak for him, and he doesn’t speak for me,” Perry told The Associated Press.
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President Donald Trump says he wants voters to pretend that he’s on the ballot in this year’s midterm elections.
His rivals are doing their best to help his case.
Democratic candidates and their allies have spent more than $163 million since Sept. 1 on television advertising that mentions the Republican president, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from AdImpact, which charts media spending.
That includes airing ads that reference Trump on broadcast, cable and streaming nearly 180,000 times, the data shows. Republicans, meanwhile, have run ads that talk about the president just 16,000 times, at an estimated cost of $11 million, over the same period.
It’s a noticeable silence about the party’s dominant yet unpopular leader.
Many of the Democrats’ ads accuse Republican opponents of siding with the president over voters, particularly on issues like tariffs and the Iran war, which they blame for jacking up costs.
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New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia on Thursday defended her legal background and justified her truncated inaugural briefing as she navigates a rocky first week as the president’s chief spokeswoman.
Zacharia sat down for an interview with conservative media. She told the conservative Human Events outlet that she did not have time to get fully prepared ahead of her first briefing on Tuesday and that it was always the plan to keep it short because President Donald Trump would field questions from journalists later that morning.
“It was absolutely my goal to keep it short, considering he is his own best spokesperson, and he would love -- and does love -- gaggling with the media as he goes to Marine One,” Zacharia said. “So I wanted to give ample deference and not barge into his time.”
The initial briefing materials were given to Zacharia on Monday evening, then completed Tuesday at 8 a.m., less than two hours before she would appear before the White House press corps. She had been up since 3 a.m. preparing, Zacharia said.
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Donald Trump’s midterm campaign blitz arrives in Georgia on Friday for a rally with top Republican candidates in a state that has long been the epicenter of the president’s false claims about election fraud.
In Dalton, the population center of conservative northwest Georgia, Trump will appear with Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson as part of the White House effort to boost Republican enthusiasm in an election that could reshape the final years of Trump’s second presidency.
“President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party,” said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle.
Yet unlike some of Trump’s recent trips to solidly Republican states — Alabama, Montana, Tennessee — Georgia is a critical battleground. That means Jackson, a billionaire businessman, and Collins, a two-term congressman, need more than Trump stalwarts to defeat their respective Democratic opponents, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff.
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This story has been corrected to show that the satellite disruption caused the Ukrainian military to lose connection to drones flying faster than 160 kph.
President Donald Trump speaks to the reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington, as White House press secretary Katie Zacharia looks on. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House during an event for first responders, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
