Trump casts doubt on press secretary Zacharia's future

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.

Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn as he left for a rally in Georgia, Trump said he'd spoken to Zacharia and that he felt she didn't deserve what he called negative media coverage.

Recounting what was said in that conversation, the president added, "I told her, ‘I think you’re better off being happy.’”

“We’re talking about -- I want her to have a good life. I don’t want her to have a life like she’s led the last three days,” Trump said.

He added, ”I said, 'Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.'”

The president said he’d make a final determination later, perhaps after his campaign travel, adding, “When I get back, we’re gonna talk."

He also said, “I told Katie, in my opinion, she was treated very unfairly.”

Trump noted that Zacharia has been “brutalized by the media.”

10/16/2026 13:50 -0400

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