Katie Zacharia leaving her White House role less than five days on the job

Her public debut as White House press secretary on Tuesday ended with a flurry of media criticism about her credentials and preparedness. Katie Zacharia will be leaving her post as White House press secretary, the BBC has confirmed, as the fallout from her shaky public debut appears to have reached its climax. Speaking to reporters moments before news of her exit dropped on Friday, President Donald Trump said he had told her "you don't have to do this if you don't want to" and "honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider". Zacharia faced heavy criticism for her first press briefing in the role on Tuesday, which lasted less than 15 minutes and included only three questions from reporters.

She spent the days after playing defence, answering tough questions from news outlets about her credentials and preparedness for the job. Trump hinted at her impending exit early on Friday afternoon, during a press gaggle outside Marine One. "I said, 'Is this for you, Katie? Because honestly, you don't need this," Trump said. "You don't have to be treated this badly," he continued, adding that he believed she had been treated "pretty nastily" by the media. The BBC confirmed she was leaving the job a few hours later. As the country draws closer to the November midterm elections, which will decide who