Trump Tells New White House Press Secretary to 'Reconsider'

Katie Zacharia’s days as White House press secretary may be numbered.

President Donald Trump told Zacharia to "reconsider" staying in the role after he appointed her to the high-profile job one week ago.

The president spoke with members of the press on the South Lawn Friday, when he announced he told Zacharia just moments before, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to… I think you should reconsider."

A senior White House official told Fox News Zacharia is "transitioning out" of the role.

It comes as her four-day tenure is already marked by criticism over her legal credentials and a rocky debut before the White House press briefing Tuesday.  

Zacharia was named to the role Oct. 9 and held her first press briefing Oct. 13. The briefing lasted 14 minutes with Zacharia taking only three questions.

“Maybe it’s not for her," Trump said.

When asked if this update meant he fired Zacharia, the president responded, "No, no. I want her to have a good life.”

"She’s been brutalized by the media," Trump added.

In an appearance on "Hannity" Thursday night, Zacharia was asked whether she could refer to herself as an attorney. Zacharia admitted she did not pass the bar exam and never obtained a law license in the United States.

"I had already pre-registered for the bar exam, and basically during the summer, I knew I would be living in China and the result of the bar would be inconsequential. I sat for it because I didn't want to have a withdrawal status," she said.

Zacharia was also asked about her fumbled briefing.

"What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate with very little prep time," Zacharia said. "Given the fact that I'd been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day."

Zacharia's debut drew criticism over her many verbal stumbles, including a moment when she mistakenly referred to her husband as "my president" before correcting herself, as well as the briefing's brevity, during which she took questions from just three journalists in 14 minutes.

Karoline Leavitt’s first White House press briefing lasted nearly 47 minutes; Sean Spicer’s first briefing ran roughly 79 minutes.