Axios reports Zacharia was ousted as White House press secretary

Axios reported that Katie Zacharia was ousted as White House press secretary, citing two senior Trump administration officials. The report goes beyond earlier accounts that she might leave: it says the departure happened after five days in the role. Fox News had also reported that a White House official described her as “transitioning out.”

Bets on Zacharia leaving climbed from likely to near certainty since the last update, and traders’ expectations are now settled on her departure. The sharp rise followed President Donald Trump telling reporters he had advised Zacharia to reconsider the job, then the Fox News report. Axios’ later account supplied a firmer report of what happened. These reports replace the uncertainty described in the previous update, when The Associated Press said Trump had given no timetable for a decision and no departure had been announced.

The speculation built quickly on Friday. Earlier, expectations rose after Fox host Lawrence Jones asked whether Zacharia still had Trump’s confidence. That followed criticism of her first White House briefing and questions about her legal credentials. Zacharia said she had failed the California bar exam and acknowledged she had not been fully prepared for the briefing. Those earlier developments fueled doubts, but did not establish that she had left the job.

The latest reporting changes the story from speculation about Zacharia’s future to an account of her ouster. No further White House announcement or successor had been reported. The market’s question turns on whether she ceased to hold the press secretary position, and the Axios report says she did.