Politics
NewsOnScale Staff
October 18, 2026
Karoline Leavitt resigned as White House press secretary in August 2026 after returning from maternity leave, saying she could not be the best mother her children deserved while doing the job. She was 28 — the youngest person to ever hold the role.
After her departure, Attorney General Todd Blanche began filling in at the podium. The nation's top law enforcement officer was doing press briefings.
Katie Zacharia was named as the replacement. She started Monday October 13.
By Friday October 16 — four days later — multiple sources told ABC News she was "transitioning out" of the press secretary role into a different administration position to be announced at a later date.
What happened in four days
Zacharia's first briefing lasted 14 minutes. She took questions from three outlets before ending it abruptly, telling reporters to go ask Trump their questions on the South Lawn as he left for a trip to Alaska.
Trump praised her performance anyway. "I thought she did excellent," he told reporters.
She had previously acknowledged she did not pass the bar exam. She told reporters she viewed her role as press secretary no differently than how she had advocated for Trump while outside government.
She and her family were scheduled to have dinner with Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance on Friday night — the same night sources confirmed she was transitioning out.
The bigger picture
Three weeks before midterm elections, the White House communications operation has cycled through its youngest-ever press secretary resigning, the Attorney General filling in at the podium, a replacement who lasted four days, and no announced successor.
The role of White House press secretary is to manage the administration's public communications with the American press corps. The administration is currently managing that function without one.
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