Trump Tells New Press Secretary To ‘Reconsider’ Job After Turbulent First Week

President Donald Trump’s new press secretary hasn’t finished her first week — and he’s already told her to think about whether she wants to stay.

Trump told reporters Friday that he advised Katie Zacharia to reconsider the role after a rocky debut and days of scrutiny over her legal credentials, according to The Hill.

“I said, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,’” Trump said, describing their conversation.

“I said, ‘You think about it, but I would reconsider,’” he continued.

ZACHARIA IS ON THE WAY OUT ALREADY 👇

Q: Would you have liked to have known that Katie Zacharia didn't pass the bar?

TRUMP: Katie has been treated very badly by the media. Very very badly. Very unfair. I just asked her, is this for you? And she's a nice person. I'm going to let… pic.twitter.com/S6cUJiBK8E

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 16, 2026

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider," President Trump says he told Katie Zacharia today.

"Katie, do you need this? I don't think you need this," he said he told her.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 16, 2026

Trump said the decision ultimately belongs to Zacharia and that he would speak with her upon his return from a trip that includes a Georgia rally and time in Florida. He said he wants her “to be happy” and accused the news media of treating her unfairly.

A Briefing That Became The Story

Zacharia’s Tuesday debut lasted roughly 14 minutes and included just three questions, from Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail. She also briefly referred to her husband as “my president” before correcting herself — a stumble that quickly became fodder for critics, Forbes reported.

Former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki compared the appearance to a “Saturday Night Live” skit. Anthony Scaramucci, whose stint as Trump’s communications director lasted just 11 days, publicly started counting down her tenure. Trump initially praised her performance, telling reporters Tuesday, “I thought she was very good.”

Zacharia told Hannity she had received briefing materials Tuesday morning and had little preparation time, according to Fox News.

Bar Exam Questions Take Over

The media has also seized on Zacharia’s failed bar exam and her public identification as a lawyer. Trump described her as an attorney when announcing her appointment.

That coverage now includes an acknowledgment from Zacharia herself. During Thursday’s appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program, she confirmed that she had not passed the exam and had never retaken it, ABC News reported.

Earlier Thursday, she told Real America’s Voice that she took the exam after graduating from Pepperdine’s law school in 2011 but considered the results “somewhat inconsequential” because she planned to move to China, where she subsequently worked in international transaction law.

She also said legal professionals had advised her that she could describe herself as a lawyer providing legal analysis, distinguishing that from an attorney providing legal advice, according to ABC News.

Questions intensified after she responded to a reporter asking where she passed the bar by referring to her move to China. She later told The New York Times that helicopter noise had prevented her from hearing the question correctly, ABC reported.

By Friday, Trump was publicly offering his new spokeswoman a chance to reconsider — leaving her future behind the podium unresolved.