Neither the White House nor Zacharia has commented.

Trump did not use the word fired. Speaking to reporters, he said he had urged her to "reconsider" and later added that he would "do whatever she wants." He recounted telling her, "Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider," and added: "Katie, do you need this? I don't think you need this." Fox News reported she is "transitioning out."

The firing makes her the fastest-fired Trump official, on top of the shortest-tenured press official.

The firing also comes the day after a brutal Hannity interview. 

The week in review

Oct. 9: Trump announces her on Truth Social, praising her as a "loyal and brilliant supporter" with an "unblemished record of support" and calling her "an attorney." She had been senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group and had a brief earlier stint at DHS.

Oct. 13: First (and only) briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. It ran roughly 14-15 minutes. She took questions from three outlets, read from notes, and used the podium to announce that Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle was being asked to resign amid reports that she pressed a donor to pay off a $100,000 credit card bill, allegations her lawyers deny. Reviews were mixed at best; the format was widely noted as unusually constrained.

Oct. 14-15: Credential questions explode. Reports establish that Zacharia holds a J.D. from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law (2011) but failed the California bar exam and has no U.S. law license. She has long described herself as a "lawyer," appeared as such on television, and shared posts identifying her as an "attorney." Trump had called her one. When asked on the South Lawn where she had passed the bar, she replied (twice), "When I moved to China." She later said she misheard the question amid Marine One noise and maintained that a law degree plus advice from others made "lawyer" acceptable. A watchdog group filed a complaint with the California State Bar. Legal experts generally rejected the lawyer/attorney distinction she drew.

Oct. 16: Out.

Zacharia also told interviewers that the White House never asked whether she had passed the bar. She noted she was being hired as press secretary, not White House counsel.