Karoline Leavitt Offers Help to Trump After His New Press Secretary Lasted Just 5 Days — and Her Words About the Outgoing Pick Say It All

The former White House press secretary has offered to help fill her old seat, but her message to the woman who barely had time to settle into it is where the pleasantries get uncomfortable.

Karoline Leavitt spoke in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Wednesday evening, October 21, 2026, after Katie Zacharia's five-day run as President Donald Trump's press secretary ended in a painfully public exit. Karoline was willing to help him choose again, but when she addressed her successor's departure, the sympathy came with a verdict that left very little room for interpretation.

A Dream Appointment With Almost No Time to Breathe

Katie's arrival was supposed to help President Trump regain control of his administration's message. Instead, his new spokesperson soon found herself answering uncomfortable questions about her own background.

According to Reuters, the president had been unhappy with coverage of his administration and wanted someone who could more effectively promote its accomplishments. Two people familiar with those discussions described that concern as the backdrop to Katie's appointment.

For a political commentator, the offer meant moving from discussing the administration to speaking for it. And the process moved quickly. Katie said she received a call about the position on October 7 and was offered it the following week.

She began work on Monday, October 12, and delivered her first White House briefing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, October 13. By Friday, October 16, two White House officials were telling the outlet that she had been dismissed. That made hers the shortest believed tenure in the position's history.

An appointment intended to improve the president's coverage had become an unwelcome headline of its own.

The Questions Followed Her Away From the Podium

Katie faced criticism of her briefing and television appearances, but the scrutiny also reached a more concrete issue: her legal credentials. She had described a background practicing law, and President Trump had introduced her as an attorney.

Reuters, however, said it could not locate records showing that the Pepperdine University law school graduate was registered as an attorney or belonged to a bar in any U.S. state or the District of Columbia.

Katie defended her experience in an emailed statement on Wednesday, October 14, saying, "I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials."

Then, during a Fox News interview on Thursday, October 15, she acknowledged that she had not passed the bar exam. Reuters noted that law graduates cannot legally practice law in the United States without first gaining admission to a state bar.

That left the administration dealing with questions about the person hired to answer everyone else's questions. With criticism of her performance already circulating, the dispute over her qualifications added another problem to an introduction that was unraveling fast.

Still, on Friday morning, Katie told reporters at the White House that she looked forward to working with them. Later that day, officials confirmed she was leaving.

The President Had Already Raised the Possibility of Leaving

Before the dismissal became public, President Trump had openly discussed encouraging Katie to reconsider the position. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a weekend trip, he described a conversation about whether she could be happy under such intense scrutiny.

"I told her: 'I think you're better off being happy, and I'm not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.' There's nothing easy about this stuff," he said.

He also recounted telling her, "I said to her honestly, 'If I were you, I'd reconsider... think about it. But I would reconsider.'"

The president said he intended to speak with her again later. Yet even before that follow-up, he had publicly floated an exit for a press secretary who had only just arrived. But someone with considerable experience of a short White House stay had advice for Katie, too, and his version was rather comforting.

An Old White House Survivor Sent Katie Some Advice

Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief service as White House communications director during President Trump's first term became famous in its own right, addressed Katie directly on X. "Speaking as the world's leading expert on short White House tenures: turn off the news and go enjoy your family," he wrote.

He followed that with, "In time you’ll realize that the Universe did you a major favour."

Anthony's self-deprecating introduction gave the message a little humor, but the advice itself was gentle. Karoline, meanwhile, had her own reasons for knowing the appeal of life away from Washington. She had voluntarily left the same job on August 27 to spend more time with her two young children, including a daughter born in May.

Her departure had been about bringing her attention home. Katie's exit now had her discussing the demands of the position she had chosen to leave.

Karoline's Words for Katie

In her exclusive interview with Fox News, Karoline confirmed that she had offered to assist with the search. "I've offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well," she said.

She had held the role from the beginning of President Trump's second term, having already spent years working within his political orbit. She was the youngest person ever appointed to it.

"White House press secretary is a tough job. I know that because I did it, obviously for almost two years, and many people say it's one of the hardest jobs in politics," she continued telling the press, and then, came her assessment of Katie.

Karoline explained that the position requires substantial preparation and that a person's performance can remain uncertain until they actually begin doing it. That offered some acknowledgment of how difficult Katie's introduction had been. But Karoline's goodbye was strikingly direct.

"We wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well," she said.

After such a bruising week, hearing your predecessor present that conclusion as self-evident would hardly soften the landing. But Karoline was more guarded when asked about the advice she had given the president. She declined to disclose their private discussions, while confirming that they spoke about what the position requires.

She did, however, spell out the qualities she believed he needed.

"Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight," she said.

Despite Katie's experience, Karoline said there was considerable interest in the opening and emphasized the opportunities it offered. President Trump, she explained, was still considering his options.

The Briefing Room May Reopen Before the Seat Is Filled

By October 22, the White House was indicating that reporters could soon face someone at the podium again, even without a permanent replacement. Communications director Steven Cheung told Semafor that another briefing was expected soon. But a person familiar with the situation said a new press secretary would not be named before the November midterms.

The president and his team were concentrating on that election, Steven said. Advisers viewed President Trump as his own most effective messenger as he traveled to support Republicans. Karoline, for her part, has another professional commitment approaching: she officially becomes a Fox News contributor at the beginning of November.

As for whether she might seek elected office again, she was asked about a possible home-state run when Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan faces reelection in 2028. "No, I'm all set. I don't have any plans to run for office in the near future at all, or in the future at all," she replied.

Karoline Leavitt said she was focused on being a wife and mother, explaining that her family was happy to be home and enjoying their time together. She is willing to help the president decide who should face the cameras next. But after that farewell to Katie, any hopeful applicant has a fairly clear idea of how bluntly the woman who once held the job may judge their performance.