White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is out after five days

Katie Zacharia's tenure as White House press secretary ended after about five days, leaving President Donald Trump without a chief spokesperson 16 days before the midterm elections.

Zacharia, a conservative commentator, had succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who resigned in August. Al Jazeera described her as the shortest-serving press secretary on record and the sixth to hold the job under Trump.

What happened

Zacharia held one news conference, on Tuesday, Oct. 13. It ran about 14 minutes and she took three questions, Al Jazeera reported. The performance was widely panned, including by some Trump allies.

Questions then turned to her background. She holds a law degree and had described herself as an attorney, but she never passed a U.S. bar exam, according to Al Jazeera. Axios reported that Trump was surprised to learn that, after he had introduced her as a lawyer.

On Friday, Trump told reporters the press had treated her harshly and that he had advised her to "reconsider" the role. News outlets then confirmed she was leaving. Zacharia wrote on X that serving Trump had been "an honor."

What comes next

The White House has given no official reason for her exit and has not named a successor. Trump told Fox News he is "not in a hurry" to fill the post, Al Jazeera reported.

The vacancy comes as the administration manages the conflict with Iran and as Republicans defend their House and Senate majorities on Nov. 3. A Fox News poll released last week put Trump's approval at 36%, the lowest of either of his terms, according to Axios.