President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to part ways with White House press secretary Katie Zacharia less than a week after appointing her has raised questions about the importance of the position in an administration where the president frequently acts as his own spokesman.
Zacharia’s departure Friday followed a rocky debut behind the White House podium and a series of uncomfortable television interviews that raised questions about her preparation for the job and professional qualifications. But her short-lived tenure has also exposed a broader dilemma for the White House: what role should a traditional press secretary play in an administration where the president regularly communicates directly with reporters and voters, often getting ahead of his own spokespeople?
The question comes as Trump has publicly complained about his administration’s inability to sell its accomplishments to voters, even as his own unpredictable approach to communications can make it difficult for aides to sustain a consistent message.
Former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who did not hold a public press briefing during her nine-month tenure in his first administration, told the Washington Examiner that Zacharia “was clearly hired on the spot without vetting and given no time to prepare.”
“So this outcome isn’t surprising,” Grisham said.
Grisham argued that while she does not consider traditional White House press briefings to be “useless,” Trump’s approach to communicating with the public complicates the role of his spokespeople.
“This president speaks to the press directly or through social media so often, that he tends to get in front of or contradict his press people and Cabinet members,” she said. “In this White House, the press secretary performs for an audience of one.”
A source close to the White House told the Washington Examiner that they agreed with Grisham in that Trump and his administration will be “fine” without a press secretary, at least in the interim.
“I always thought the original plan was to not hire for the role before the midterm,” the person said.
Former Republican National Committee Communications Director Doug Heye similarly agreed that, “Ultimately, it’s about Trump.”
“He always said he was gonna hire the best people, and yet …” Heye told Washington Examiner.
Yet Trump’s own frustration with his administration’s public relations suggests that he sees a need for a more effective communications operation, even if the traditional role of press secretary is less clearly defined.
Zacharia’s appointment came after her predecessor Karoline Leavitt departed the White House in August. A longtime Trump spokeswoman, Leavitt had developed a close understanding of the president’s political instincts and messaging priorities over years of working for him.
Outside Trump political operative Jason Miller and other Republican strategists were asked to lead the press shop in the interim, but Trump became increasingly frustrated with the lack of supporters defending him and his record on TV.
“I’m very proud [of] the job we’ve done,” Trump told a crowd last month during the White House’s Hispanic Heritage Month event. “But I’ve done a very bad job of explaining.”
“The only thing we don’t have is good public relations,” he said to reporters hours later. “We don’t seem to be able to get the word across.”
Trump appeared to believe Zacharia could help solve that problem, announcing her appointment in a Truth Social post last Friday in which he expressed confidence that she would “deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary.”
Instead, Zacharia quickly found herself at the center of a controversy that overshadowed the administration’s intended messaging.
Trump reportedly was embarrassed by Zacharia’s first briefing, with the former press secretary blaming her truncated onboarding process for her performance,
She subsequently appeared on Fox News twice in less than 24 hours, facing unusually pointed questions about her performance and legal background, including the fact that she had never passed a bar examination despite graduating from law school.
By Friday morning, the scrutiny had shifted to whether she retained the president’s confidence.
“Do you think you still have the confidence of the president?” Fox & Friends host Lawrence Jones asked.
“I’m standing here and I was able to travel with him through all of the midterm convention or excuse me, the midterm rallies,” she replied. “And I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me.”
Shortly afterward, Trump told reporters before departing for a campaign event in Georgia that he had spoken with Zacharia about whether the press secretary position was right for her, arguing that she had been treated “unfairly” by the media.
“What I’m doing is, I said, when I get back, we’re going to talk because I don’t think that Katie should be made to suffer like she’s suffering at the hands of the press,” he said.
Less than an hour later, a White House official confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Zacharia would be “transitioning” out as press secretary.
The latest White House personnel shake-up also comes as Republicans are trailing Democrats by 8 percentage points on the generic congressional ballot, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Heye argued that the turmoil surrounding Zacharia’s appointment and departure was another distraction from Republican efforts to promote their economic message, including efforts to lower prices.
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Heye contended that Trump’s own actions frequently undermine efforts to focus public attention on his administration’s accomplishments.
“He cannot stay out of his own way,” Heye said.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
