Katie Zakaria's mission as White House spokeswoman lasted only five days, before US President Donald Trump decided to dismiss her, in a confusing end to a sudden appointment that displeased a number of his advisors. The decision came after a stumbling first press conference, questions about her experience and ability to perform the task, then controversy over her legal qualifications, leading to television interviews that increased the pressure on her.
CNN revealed that Zakaria's appointment was motivated by Trump's desire to find a loyal defender of his policies, at a time when Republicans were facing political difficulties before the midterm congressional elections. But the president's haste in selecting her, without adequate scrutiny of her qualifications, contributed to turning the appointment into a rapid failure.
Trump wanted a voice to defend him before the election
Trump initially showed no rush to fill the position vacated by Caroline Levitt at the end of the summer. His advisors had proposed several names, but the search faltered, especially after candidates were excluded due to previous criticisms they directed at the president.
But the decline in Republicans' chances in the midterm elections, and the escalation of criticism directed at Trump, prompted him to intensify the search for someone to defend his message in the media. He complained to his advisors that there were not enough voices defending him amid the negative coverage, according to CNN.
In this context, the name of Katie Zakaria emerged, who used to appear on news channels and passionately defend Trump and his policies. The president asked his advisers, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, what they thought of it, and also sought Levitt's advice.
According to CNN, Katie's name was not on the table for the position one week before her appointment. After a phone call between her and Trump, the president suddenly offered her the job, without Wiles attending the conversation, which prompted his aides to inform the chief of staff of the decision later.
According to CNN, Natalie Harp, Trump's aide who constantly accompanies him, was one of Katie's most prominent supporters inside the White House.
A press conference revealed the weakness of its preparedness
The first signs of faltering appeared during Katie's first press conference, which was held on Tuesday morning. After a round-trip flight between Washington and California, she woke up at 3 a.m. to prepare, but her materials weren't ready until 90 minutes before she entered the briefing room.
Her performance seemed faltering even while reading a prepared script praising Trump's record. A senior official in the US administration told CNN that it was unable to control the hall, while advisors wondered how someone who lacked the necessary experience and confidence could reach this position.
When the journalists started asking questions, it was not known whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence information with Ukraine, although the question was expected.
After watching the conference, one of Trump's advisors asked: "What's going on there?", while others summarized their concerns with a direct question: "Has anyone checked her qualifications?" According to White House officials and advisors who spoke to CNN, the necessary vetting was not conducted before her appointment.
Although Trump did not consider her performance to be very bad at first, he later felt embarrassed by the negative media coverage of the conference.
It ignored Trump's preferences and upset his team
Additional signs of Katie's inexperience emerged during Trump's visit to Alaska. She told White House officials that she had arranged an interview for the president with a reporter from Fox News after a campaign rally, even though his team knew that he did not like to give interviews after his events, especially when he had spent a long time in front of the public.
Katie insisted that the interview was a good idea, noting that the reporter was a friend of hers. But Trump expressed his annoyance when I informed him of the plan after the rally ended, and said that he would not give the interview until he finally agreed to it.
Her appearance in an interview with Fox News coinciding with a Trump election rally also sparked dissatisfaction with some of his old advisers, who saw competing with the president for media attention during his events as inappropriate behavior on the part of one of his subordinates.
When Trump polled his senior aides about her performance, Katie did not find many willing to defend her, even though some of them had praised her in front of her. A person familiar with the president's comments told CNN that he began to wonder if she was "not ready to appear on the big stage."
The crisis of legal qualifications hastened the dismissal
Katie's legal qualifications became an additional problem. She had presented herself as a lawyer, without any public evidence that she had passed the practice exam. The Wall Street Journal then reported that she had failed the exam, which Katie later confirmed, claiming that she had been told that she could describe herself as a “lawyer” even if she did not have the right to use the description “practicing lawyer.”
But her previous posts on social media repeatedly described her as a lawyer, which raised questions about the accuracy and credibility of what she announced. Instead of containing the crisis, her public defense of herself contributed to keeping the issue in the spotlight, amid the impression that she did not have the necessary experience to deal with media scrutiny.
After a series of intense interviews on Fox News, the pressure reached its peak during an interview Thursday evening with Sean Hannity, a friend of Trump, who questioned her about her legal qualifications. The President concluded that her continuation in office was no longer possible.
Trump finished the job days later
Trump did not inform Katie of his decision until Friday. Even during another television appearance that day, she said she believed she still had his trust, before assuring reporters upon her return to the White House that she looked forward to working with them.
Hours later, Trump informed her that he thought she should reconsider continuing in the position. He later said: “I asked her: Is this position suitable for you, Katie?” Because, frankly, you don't need to.”
Despite the dismissal, a source close to Trump said, according to CNN, that he still respects Katie and loves her on a personal level. She and her family also had dinner with Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday evening, a sign that she still has the esteem of some officials in the administration.
But Trump returned to square one, without a main spokesperson, in a sensitive stage preceding the elections. He said that many people want to take the job, without revealing the name of a specific candidate.
The details of the incident indicate that the dismissal was not the result of a single misstep, but rather the result of a hasty appointment, poor preparation for the press conference, a misjudgment of the president’s preferences, then a crisis of legal qualifications, and television interviews that increased doubts about her ability to perform one of the most sensitive media positions in the White House.
