Katie Zacharia denies reports seeking White House press secretary return

Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has publicly denied reports that she is attempting to regain her position in the Trump administration. The Daily Mail, the Washington Times, TMZ, and Mediaite all reported that Zacharia rejected claims that she is angling for her former job. Zacharia, who is 42 years old according to the Daily Mail, dismissed the coverage on social media as completely false beltway rumors. [1][6][7][8]

The denial follows reports from the New York Post stating that Zacharia was attempting to secure a second chance at the role. According to the New York Post, sources close to President Donald Trump said Zacharia had been working to impress Trump and new chief of staff Stephen Miller. The Daily Mail and the New York Post both reported that Zacharia appeared on the Right Side Broadcasting Network on Election Night, which the New York Post described as an attempt to audition for the press secretary post. [1][2][3]

The controversy comes after brief service in the position. The Daily Mail and the New York Post both reported that Zacharia held the job for just five days and conducted only one press briefing before being removed. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Zacharia was offered the role to succeed Karoline Leavitt, making her tenure the shortest of any White House press secretary in United States history. [1][2][11][12]

Separately, Variety and The Daily Wire reported that President Donald Trump stated he was only joking about appointing Ultimate Fighting Championship president and CEO Dana White to the press secretary role. According to Variety, Trump posted on Truth Social following the removal of Zacharia to clarify that his comments regarding White were made in jest. [4][5]