Trump’s new press secretary looks close to exit after just one week

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) -- Embattled new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia looked unlikely to survive after President Donald Trump said Friday that she should "reconsider" her position, given her shaky performance less than a week into the high-profile job.

"I said, 'Katie, is this for you?,'" Trump told reporters as Zacharia fended off criticism that she falsely claimed to be a lawyer and over her widely panned first official press briefing.

"I said, 'Katie, you don't have to do this'... I said to her, 'Honestly if I were you I'd reconsider.'"

Minutes later, Fox News quoted an unnamed official saying Zacharia, 41, was "transitioning out" of the White House.

Zacharia only began her job five days ago, taking over from the combative Karoline Leavitt, who helped Trump reshape White House coverage by bringing in more friendly outlets and fiercely attacking critical media.

Zacharia got off to a rocky start with her first press room briefing Tuesday.

It lasted less than 15 minutes, starting with a remarkably slow reading out of what she said were Trump's many accomplishments -- then taking just three questions from journalists.

She then plunged into controversy when it emerged that her previous claims to be a lawyer were not true.

The kerfuffle is a distraction for 80-year-old Trump as he flies around the country trying to boost Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 congressional midterm elections, with polls predicting a drubbing.

Zacharia had described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.

But she acknowledged Thursday she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States.

On Thursday, she sat for an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, a close Trump ally, but he appeared dismissive of Zacharia.

He asked the press secretary, who graduated from law school at California's Pepperdine University in 2011, if she ever retook the bar exam. She replied: "I did not."

"It was never my intent to go into the practice of law," she said.

In another interview Thursday with pro-Trump outlet Real America's Voice, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was "distracted and overwhelmed" by plans to move to China with her husband.

"The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn't need the bar in China," she said.

Zacharia said "many people in the field" had assured her that she could "label myself a lawyer," given her law degree.

In a further attempt at damage control, she gave a defensive interview Friday to Trump-friendly "Fox and Friends," saying "I'm being hired as White House press secretary and not White House counsel."

- China's toilets -

But "Fox and Friends," which often conducts friendly interviews with Trump administration officials, was unusually direct Friday when a host asked Zacharia if she still had the confidence of the president.

"I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me," she said, sidestepping the question.

Aside from the clean-up over the lawyer credentials, Zacharia has yet to announce when she will hold another press briefing in the White House.

Zacharia said the timing of a second press briefing was up to the White House communications department and Trump, whom she praised as "the most hardworking, incredible man."

Trump, known to enjoy watching his staffers' performances on television, later told reporters that Zacharia, a former commentator on Fox News and right-wing outlet Newsmax, was "very good."

Zacharia further stirred controversy on Thursday when she disparaged China, whose leader Xi Jinping was recently Trump's guest in a pomp-filled Washington visit.

The press secretary recalled the perception in 2016 was that China would soon overtake the United States.

"I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, 'How is China the next country on the horizon? They don't even have proper toilets,'" she told right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec in an interview.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded Friday that Zacharia should "visit China more often."