Trump trashed his press secretary as talentless behind her back before firing her: report

President Donald Trump privately tore into his short-lived White House press secretary before her abrupt exit, according to a new report.

Trump told attendees at an earlier meeting, which Katie Zacharia did not attend, that she had no talent and should not be on television, one White House official told Politico on Friday. The revelation came as Zacharia departed the role after just five days.

Politico reporter Daniel Lippman shared the detail on X, where the post quickly racked up more than 70,000 views. "Brutal!" author and journalist Nina Burleigh replied.

The private remarks stand in sharp contrast to what Trump said in public. Before leaving Friday for a campaign trip to Georgia, Trump told reporters outside the White House that he had urged Zacharia to "reconsider" the job.

"The person he picked unilaterally for the job he said she has no talent for," observed foreign policy reporter Laura Rozen.

The White House official who spoke to Politico said Trump also told Zacharia face to face that she truly needed to rethink whether to stay in the position.

Zacharia did not respond to Politico's request for comment. She and her family are scheduled to dine with Vice President JD Vance and his family at his residence Friday night, two people familiar with the plans told Politico.

Zacharia's time at the podium got off to a rough start. At her first briefing on Tuesday, she took only three questions from reporters and spent much of the session listing Trump's accomplishments. Critics quickly panned the performance.

"Trump should fire the person who thought she was good on TV and made the decision to hire her," suggested George Conway, a lawyer and the ex-husband of former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, in a reaction to Lippman's post on X.

"Everyone, including the President, has had the opportunity to see Katie on television before she was hired," noted pro-Trump influencer Steve Ferguson. "She came across as knowledgeable and likable. Something stinks here."

NEW: One White House official told me that President Trump, in an earlier meeting that Katie Zacharia was not present for, told attendees that she had no talent and shouldn’t be on television. https://t.co/SN6bQHwjOp
— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) October 16, 2026