Why Trump’s new press secretary had to go after just five days

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗
Cite

Koziol, M. (2026, October 17). Why Trump’s new press secretary had to go after just five days. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/why-trump-s-new-press-secretary-had-to-go-after-just-five-days-20261017-p616cf.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-10-17 · by Michael Koziol

Quick Summary

Katie Zacharia’s short-lived tenure as White House press secretary ended after just five days due to a series of missteps and inadequate preparation. Her hiring process was criticized for its lack of thorough vetting; she received a call offering the position, flew cross-country over a weekend, and began her role on Monday without receiving briefing materials until Tuesday morning. The author argues that this reflects poorly on former President Trump’s approach to staffing key positions based more on loyalty and appearance than competence and preparation.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-17, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator and former spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, was appointed as the new White House press secretary on October 9, 2026, after Karoline Leavitt left the role. However, Zacharia's tenure lasted only five days due to questions raised about her legal credentials and her handling of media inquiries. On October 16, she was summoned by President Trump who advised her to reconsider staying in the position; shortly after, it was announced that she would be "transitioning into a new role." Zacharia had previously worked as a communications advisor for Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns social media platform Truth Social. Her brief stint was marked by controversy over misrepresentations about her qualifications and performance during her first press briefing on October 10, which lasted just 14 minutes.

Written for “Katie Zacharia Named White House Press Secretary” on 2026-10-17, grounded in this article and the 103 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans left for article 86306 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-17

Story

📰 Katie Zacharia Named White House Press Secretary
Politics · 104 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Katie Zacharia Is Out After Half a Scaramucci same event · 100%
Mother Jones
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this 🔴 15% hedged 2 of 13 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles discuss Katie Zacharia's firing as press secretary after only five days, which is a record in the Trump administration.”
Trump's 11-day communicator Anthony Scaramucci reacts to Katie Zacharia's merciless five-day tenure: 'Records are made to be broken' same event · 100%
Daily Mail
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 1 of 21 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles discuss President Trump firing his new press secretary Katie Zacharia after only five days in the role.”
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia fired after five days on the job same event · 100%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 1 of 14 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe Katie Zacharia being fired from her position as White House press secretary after only five days.”
Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia fired after less than week in the role same event · 100%
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 7% hedged 2 of 28 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the firing of Katie Zacharia as Trump's press secretary after less than a week in the role.”
BREAKING: Trump Fires New Press Secretary After Five Days (w/ Judd Legum) same event · 100%
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 5
“Both articles describe the identical event of Trump firing Katie Zachariah as press secretary after only five days.”
US press secretary sacked less than a week into new job same event · 100%
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 no claims extracted 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles describe the identical incident of a US press secretary being fired shortly after starting the job.”
Katie Zacharia’s five days as press secretary expose flaws in Trump’s TV-driven hiring same event · 100%
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 6% hedged 3 of 50 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles discuss Katie Zacharia's resignation as press secretary after only five days.”
White House reporters react to Katie Zacharia's 'brutal' exit as Trump press secretary same event · 100%
Fox News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 8% hedged 3 of 39 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles discuss Katie Zacharia's short tenure as Trump's press secretary and her exit after only five days.”
Five days, one briefing: How Katie Zacharia’s short tenure unfolded same event · 100%
BBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 20% hedged 1 of 5 📰 publisher trust 69
“Both articles describe Katie Zacharia's short tenure as White House press secretary and her sudden departure after just five days.”
White House Press Secretary out after 5 days on the job same event · 100%
NBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 no claims extracted 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles describe Katie Zacharia's short tenure as White House Press Secretary, lasting exactly five days before she was fired.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
31
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
13%
4 of 31 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
104
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 3944 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)
2026-10-12
Prisons boss won’t say who asked for human rights law carve-out
2026-10-09
Sam Wood held in high-security prison after failed bid for freedom
2026-10-09
Sam Wood moved to correctional centre following failed bail application
2026-10-09
P-plater accused of horror Newcastle car crash bailed to family home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs
2026-10-08
Snowtown murderer seen leaving correctional facility
2026-10-08
Oliver Curtis’ transformation from jailbird to corporate kingpin has gone awry
2026-10-03
Tennessee’s prisons chief to resign after failed execution of Christa Pike
2026-09-28
Inside the prison left abandoned for years – now set to reopen as DV offenders weigh on system
2026-09-19
What will happen to your most cherished possessions when you die? You don’t want to know
2026-09-18
What will happen to your most cherished possessions when you die? You don’t want to know

Who wrote this

Michael Koziol
36 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 We will forever carry their memory in our hearts …
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Mexican men sentenced to 158 years in prison for murder of Australian brothers
🔮 “Any action to restrict lamb meat imports would only increase costs for US consumers, reduce product availability and risk reversing the steady growth in US demand for lamb to the detriment of the US industry.” Moriarty said Australia’s supply of high-quality lamb actually helped develop the US sheep industry, and contributed to flock productivity through genetics partnerships, technology transfer and pest research.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Lamb wars: Australia says it’s not to blame for struggling US industry
🔮 Zacharia may have technically been in the job five days, but she really only lasted 15 minutes.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Why Trump’s new press secretary had to go after just five days
🔮 These are the voters – past supporters who have drifted or may not bother voting this year – whom Trump wants to reach with his whistle-stop campaign tour.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · On the road in Ohio: Why Trump is on the defensive in this crucial state
🔮 Asked for one thing she would do in office that might be unpopular with some voters, she said: “Firing all Republicans.”
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · ‘We have guns too’: Democrat slurs her way through viral, car crash interview
🔮 I will not be silenced.”
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Federal agents raid home of Democratic congresswoman targeted by Trump
🔮 The US president on Friday struck a deal to buy Russian diesel, upending years of sanctions against Moscow, though it was not evident that Vladimir Putin could fulfil his end of the deal, given he is struggling to fuel his own economy.
2026-10-10 · assertive framing · ‘Time for a new president’: Trump calls on Zelensky to go amid diesel stoush
🔮 Martin Robinson held his wife Debra as she told the court on the final day of the murder trial that “our lives will never be the same without them, but our love for them will never fade”.
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · ‘Our world stopped’: Parents of slain Australian surfers ask for maximum sentence
🔮 The case has shocked the world and raised significant questions about the death penalty in the US – along with uncertainty about whether the state of Tennessee will try to execute her again. A court on Wednesday (US time) ordered the state to preserve and maintain all medical equipment, records and communications relating to the failed execution – with further decisions to come about Pike’s access to a tablet, and whether she should be unshackled from the bed. Speaking to reporters after the court hearing, Spivey revealed Pike had been unresponsive and presumed brain-dead the night before she suddenly woke up and began talking.
2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Lawyers reveal Christa Pike’s first words after she woke from botched execution
🔮 The US will build a new shipyard to make components for the Virginia-class submarine – the kind Australia is due to acquire under AUKUS – in a bid to ramp up lagging production of the nuclear-powered boats.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · US to spend billions on new shipyard for AUKUS submarines
Also by Michael Koziol
Mexican men sentenced to 158 years in prison for murder of Australian brothers
2026-10-17 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Lamb wars: Australia says it’s not to blame for struggling US industry
2026-10-17 · The Sydney Morning Herald
On the road in Ohio: Why Trump is on the defensive in this crucial state
2026-10-16 · The Sydney Morning Herald
‘We have guns too’: Democrat slurs her way through viral, car crash interview
2026-10-14 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 36 articles by Michael Koziol →

Topics

CNN Fox News Newsmax White House the White House

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 10× Zacharia PERSON · 7× White House ORG · 5× CNN ORG · 2× Leavitt PERSON · 2× Anthony Scaramucci PERSON · 1× Fox News ORG · 1× Katie Zacharia PERSON · 1× Newsmax ORG · 1× the White House GPE · 1×

Narrative

When Anthony Scaramucci was fired from the White House after just 11 days, it followed a series of incendiary and unwise interactions with the media – phoning magazine reporters, calling into CNN, posting accusatory tweets – for which he had no one to blame but himself.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-17
🔮 Zacharia may have technically been in the job five days, but she really only lasted 15 minutes.
2026-10-17 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Why Trump’s new press secretary had to go after just five days · assertive framing

Claims (31 extracted, 4 hedged)

When Anthony Scaramucci was fired from the White House after just 11 days, it followed a series of incendiary and unwise interactions with the media – phoning magazine reporters, calling into CNN, posting accusatory tweets – for which he had no one to blame but himself. asserted
he → fire → himself
Perhaps Katie Zacharia, too, shoulders some blame for her record-breaking five-day tenure – for getting in over her head, for misrepresenting her legal qualifications, for making excuses rather than acknowledging her error. asserted
Zacharia → shoulder → error
But when you have to sack your fresh recruit after just five days, that reflects much more on the person doing the hiring than the person being fired. asserted
that → have → person
We know that Trump chose Zacharia after watching her on Fox News and Newsmax. asserted
Trump → know → News
He liked that she was a rusted-on Trump loyalist, and indeed worked for his Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns social media platform Truth Social. asserted
which → like → Social
And it has to be noted that she fits a certain physical profile Trump appears to prefer in staff, especially those who are going to represent him on TV: female, white, blonde and conventionally attractive. asserted
who → have → TV
Beyond that, it’s not clear how much vetting took place. asserted
vetting → ’ → place
Zacharia said she received a call about the role last Wednesday, flew to Washington and was interviewed on Friday, got the job and was told to start on Monday. asserted
she → say → Monday
Over that weekend, she flew home to California then back to DC. asserted
she → fly → DC
Monday was a federal holiday in the US, and Zacharia said she didn’t receive briefing papers until Tuesday morning, before holding her first – and as it turns out, only – White House press conference at 9.30am. asserted
it → say → 9.30am
It is also telling of Trump’s approach to public relations: that being armed with the facts and context is unimportant compared to blind loyalty and looking good on TV. asserted
armed → arm → TV
Zacharia may have technically been in the job five days, but she really only lasted 15 minutes. uncertain
she → last → job
That was the duration of her press conference on Tuesday, and her standing never recovered. asserted
standing → recover → Tuesday
Her awkward and hesitant performance generated bad headlines, and Trump had hired her to do exactly the opposite. asserted
Trump → generate → opposite
Karoline Leavitt made it look easy. asserted
it → make → ?
She was confident at the podium, quick-witted, combative but rarely hostile, and skilled at batting away questions with a brisk: “I don’t have anything for you on that.” asserted
I → bat → that
But Leavitt also had months to train and prepare. asserted
Leavitt → have → months
She was press secretary for Trump’s campaign, and was given the White House job days after the election. asserted
She → give → election
Trump reportedly wanted former Fox News Business anchor Maria Bartiromo but couldn’t get her. uncertain
Trump → want → her
Conservative commentator and strategist Scott Jennings – a skilled communicator who appears regularly on CNN – was passed over for reasons unknown. asserted
who → appear → reasons
The debacle has also highlighted the ease with which Trump operatives brazenly lie in their statements to the media. asserted
operatives → highlight → media
During the week, communications director Steven Cheung claimed that stories revealing White House angst about Zacharia were “tabloid trash” and “simply made up”. asserted
Cheung → claim → Zacharia
“Up and down the White House, everyone has been thoroughly impressed with Katie in just a few short days on the job,” Cheung wrote on X on Wednesday. asserted
Cheung → impress → Wednesday
“At the end of this second term, she’ll be remembered as one of the all-time greats.” asserted
she → remember → greats
Even in ousting Zacharia, Trump could not be honest. uncertain
Trump → oust → Zacharia
He told reporters on Friday (US time) that he suggested she reconsider the role due to the treatment she was receiving from the media, and that it was her choice. uncertain
it → tell → media
Minutes later, it was reported that Zacharia had been fired. asserted
Zacharia → report → ?
In reality, Trump had forced her out while publicly pretending it was her decision. asserted
it → force → her
All press secretaries spin – that’s the job. asserted
that → spin → ?
But what is the public utility of a White House press secretary when they are being sent out to the podium to lie, obfuscate and manipulate the facts? asserted
they → send → facts
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. asserted
what → get → world
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 17 Oct 2026