White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has been fired after fewer than seven days in the role, two U.S. officials said Friday, bringing an abrupt end to a turbulent debut as President Donald Trump’s leading public spokesperson.

Two separate White House officials confirmed that Zacharia had been “let go” and was “transitioning out” of the position. Her departure followed several days of scrutiny over her legal credentials and criticism of her performance during a White House briefing and media interviews.

The sudden exit leaves Trump without a key communicator just over two weeks before November’s midterm elections, a politically crucial stretch in which the president is seeking to highlight his administration’s record and help fellow Republicans maintain control of Congress.

Trump Urged Zacharia to Reconsider the Role

Trump revealed earlier Friday that he had encouraged Zacharia to think carefully about whether she wanted to continue as press secretary after facing intense media attention during her first days in office.

Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a weekend trip, Trump said he had questioned whether the demanding position would make her happy.

“I told her: ‘I think you're better off being happy, and I'm not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.’ There's nothing easy about this stuff,” Trump said.

He added that he had advised her to reconsider the position and think about whether it was right for her.

“I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I'd reconsider... think about it. But I would reconsider,’” Trump told reporters.

The president said he planned to return to the conversation with Zacharia later. However, officials subsequently confirmed her departure, leaving the administration facing an unexpected communications shake-up at a sensitive political moment.

During a phone interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump also said he was not rushing to appoint a replacement.

Legal Credentials Became a Flashpoint

Zacharia began her tenure on Monday and delivered her first White House press briefing the following day. She said she had received a call about the position on Oct. 7 and was offered the job to replace Karoline Leavitt approximately a week earlier.

Her appointment quickly drew questions about her professional background, particularly her claims of having practiced law. Trump had also introduced her as an attorney.

In an emailed statement Wednesday, Zacharia defended her background, saying: “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.”

However, Reuters reported that it could not find records showing that the Pepperdine University law school graduate was registered as an attorney or admitted to the bar in any U.S. state or the District of Columbia.

The questions intensified Thursday, when Zacharia acknowledged during a Fox News interview that she had not passed the bar exam.

Graduating from law school does not, by itself, authorize someone to practice law in the United States. Graduates must first meet the requirements for admission to a state bar before they can legally practice as attorneys.

The controversy placed Zacharia’s professional qualifications under a bright spotlight just as she was beginning one of the administration’s most visible and demanding jobs.

A Short Tenure Ends Amid Political Pressure

Zacharia’s departure also comes against the backdrop of Trump’s concerns about how the media has portrayed his administration.

According to two people familiar with the discussions, Trump selected her after expressing dissatisfaction with existing coverage and seeking a new spokesperson who could more effectively communicate his administration’s achievements.

Yet her brief time in the role was quickly overshadowed by questions about her credentials and her performance in front of journalists.

Earlier Friday, Zacharia had told reporters at the White House that she was looking forward to working with the press. Her comments came shortly before officials confirmed that she was leaving the position.

Neither Zacharia nor the White House immediately responded to an email requesting comment about her firing.

The timing presents a challenge for an administration preparing for the November midterm elections. With the campaign entering a critical period, the press secretary typically plays a central role in defending presidential decisions, responding to criticism and delivering the White House’s message to voters.

Without a permanent spokesperson in place, Trump’s team must now navigate that period while deciding who will take over the daily task of communicating the administration’s agenda.

White House Faces an Unexpected Communications Shake-Up

Zacharia’s rapid exit is believed to mark the shortest tenure of any White House press secretary in the position’s history.

The speed of the departure underscores how quickly a high-profile appointment can unravel when questions about a spokesperson’s background and performance become a political liability.

For Trump, the immediate question is who will step into the briefing room and take on the responsibility of defending his administration during the final stretch before the midterms.

For now, the president has said he is in no hurry to make that decision. But with the election approaching and the administration seeking to keep its achievements at the center of public attention, the vacancy leaves a significant communications role suddenly unsettled.