White House Press Secretary Resigns Five Days After Appointment

An unexpected personnel change has occurred in the administration of the U.S. president. Kathy Zakaria, appointed as White House press secretary less than a week ago, resigned on Friday, October 16, following several public scandals. As reported by LETA citing AFP, a White House representative confirmed the departure of 41-year-old Zakaria. Earlier, Fox News reported that she was in the process of being fired. Donald Trump himself indicated to reporters before the official confirmation that he did not oppose her departure. "I said: Kathy, is this really for you? You don’t have to do this. Honestly, if I were you, I would reconsider," the president recounted about his conversation with the new press secretary. ## The First Press Conference Lasted Less Than 15 Minutes Zakaria took the position just five days ago, succeeding Caroline Levitt, who was one of the most prominent public representatives of the Trump administration. Under Levitt, the White House expanded its engagement with media outlets friendly to the administration and took a more confrontational stance towards critical publications. Zakaria's first appearance before reporters took place on Tuesday and lasted less than a quarter of an hour. She began the press conference with a slow reading of a list of the president's achievements, after which she answered only three questions. The performance drew numerous mockery and critical comments, especially on social media. However, the new press secretary's problems did not end there. ## Scandal Over Legal Qualifications Shortly after her appointment, it became clear that Zakaria had previously represented herself as a lawyer, although she did not possess the necessary qualifications for legal practice. In television appearances and on social media, she referred to herself as a lawyer and chief counsel of a conservative nonprofit organization from California. However, Zakaria did indeed obtain an academic degree in law from a California university. Nevertheless, on Thursday she admitted that she had not passed the bar exam required for admission to legal practice. Thus, her legal education did not confirm her previous claims about her professional status. ## Comments on China Sparked New Scandal Another reason for criticism was Zakaria's comments about China. On Thursday, the press secretary made a dismissive remark about the country, whose president, Xi Jinping, had recently visited Washington on an official visit and was received by Donald Trump. This became yet another episode that attracted negative attention to the new White House representative. ## Resignation Occurred Before Congressional Elections The personnel scandal erupted less than three weeks before the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 3. Currently, Trump is actively participating in the election campaign, visiting various states and supporting Republican candidates. These elections will determine the new composition of the House of Representatives and part of the Senate. The results will decide whether the Republican Party retains control over both chambers of Congress. So far, the White House has not announced who will take over the position of press secretary after Zakaria's departure.