44:41
After just five troubling days in the job as Donald Trump's press secretary, Katie Zekeriah is gone. White House officials tell News 24 she was being transitioned out, but now as the president hunts for a new spokesperson, she holds an unwanted record. Ms. Zekeriah has responded on Instagram saying President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him. Washington correspondent Jonathan Kersey has more.
Katie Zekeriah started her fifth day in the job with a desire to hang on. I'm not taking any questions, but I want to let you know I'm looking forward to working with all of you so much. Please get my number, reach out to me, call me, text me, email me. I would love to work with all of you and I'm so excited to be working with President Trump and on behalf of the American people. So, thank you very much. I'm not taking any questions. But now she holds an unwanted record as the shortest serving press secretary to the President of the United States in America's history. And I said to her, "Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. You think about it, but I would reconsider. You got a beautiful husband and family. I met the family
yesterday. Beautiful kids, just like from a picture postcard." And I said, "You should reconsider because you don't want to go through this." What do you want her to do? I just want her to be happy. This may have been the final nail in the coffin. Given the fact that I'd been on the job less than maybe 8 hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day. Am I hearing that you think the staff should have prepped you better? Well, I believe that at in that time I could have just given a brief intro and said I'm only here to introduce myself.
The president of the White House and she was on Sean Hannity last night and Sean was a little bit tough and she did I saw Fox and Friends this morning they were a little something. She's been treated I would say pretty nastily and I said to Katie just 2 minutes ago I said Katie you know you don't have to do this to get on what She said this is a lot tougher. I said welcome to the world of Trump. White House officials told Newsmax 24 Katie Zagarai was being transitioned out just 4 days after this. Good morning. A 14-minute press briefing that started with a nervously delivered monologue.
I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very long time. There were questions from just three reporters. The idea of not spending evenings with my kid kids are is completely unacceptable. So my president excuse me my husband that's a good one. And then for the woman who had touted herself as an attorney prior to being the voice for the president came scrutiny. Where did she pass the bar exam? What state? That sparked fresh questions.
All right now you did go to Pepperdine. Pepperdine is a good school no doubt about it. You took the bar exam but you didn't pass the bar exam correct? Yes Sean. Did you ever take the bar exam a second time? I did not Sean. You did not okay. Katie Zagarai had repeatedly described herself as an attorney. Is this legal? Well I think Gavin Newsom has not cared about what's legal. I practiced corporate law in Beijing, China. I lived in Beijing. I was a corporate lawyer in Beijing, China for 3 years.
Do you wish you would have disclosed to the president about the bar and not passing the bar? Yeah, well, Lawrence, those questions weren't asked. I'm being hired as White House press secretary and not White House counsel. The conversations and the reason I was The reason that I was hired was to represent the president in the press. She has suffered over the last few days. I'm not saying, you know, I mean maybe it's not for her. Anthony Scaramucci held a different role as director of communications under President Trump 1.0. He lasted just 11 days. Offering his thoughts, "Dear Katie Zekarias," he said, "speaking as the world's leading expert on short White
House tenures, turn off the news and go enjoy your family. In time, you'll realize that the universe did you a favor." Many in President Trump's orbit say he is his most effective communicator, but the role of press secretary is critical. So, the question now is what happens from here, and if they fill the large hole originally left by the departure of Caroline Levitt, then who will it be? Caroline did a very good job. It's once again a case of position vacant, apply within at the West Wing. Jonathan Goolsby, News 24, Washington D.C.
