Karoline Leavitt has offered a blunt assessment of Katie Zacharia’s brief and troubled tenure as White House press secretary, declaring that the highly demanding position simply was not suited for her successor, who lasted just five days before leaving the Trump administration.

Speaking to Fox News, Leavitt addressed Zacharia’s rapid departure and acknowledged that even a carefully selected candidate can struggle when confronted with the pressures of representing President Donald Trump before the national media.

Leavitt explained that the position “takes a lot of preparation and sometimes you don’t know how someone will perform until they go out there.”

“We wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well,” she added.

Zacharia’s departure followed a turbulent introduction to the White House briefing room, where she appeared visibly uncomfortable and nervous during her first appearance before reporters. Her performance quickly attracted widespread attention, and her tenure ended before she had completed a full week in the position.

Since returning to her home in California, Zacharia has largely avoided public discussion of her experience in Washington. She has been photographed exercising outdoors and walking through Los Angeles, including an appearance this week in which she wore a Make America Great Again hat.

Leavitt’s comments, however, have angered people close to Zacharia, who believe the previous press secretary should refrain from publicly criticizing the woman selected to replace her.

“It’s unfair for the former press secretary to continue brutalizing President Trump’s hand-picked successor,” a source familiar with Zacharia’s thinking told the New York Post.

The source emphasized that Zacharia has deliberately avoided interviews and opportunities to defend herself publicly because she does not want her brief tenure to distract from the administration’s work.

“Katie has been adamant about not taking any interviews with friendly or hostile press, has declined profile pieces and would like for the coverage to focus on President Trump’s hard work,” the source continued. “She will not go on a self-promotion tour because it does not benefit the president. And she remains ruthlessly loyal while facing unprecedented attacks against her.”

Some administration officials have privately acknowledged that Zacharia was placed in an unusually difficult position, having been given almost no time to familiarize herself with the responsibilities of one of Washington’s most demanding communications jobs.

Her introduction to the administration began when she traveled from California to meet with Trump on the Friday before her appointment. Following the interview, she returned home to prepare for the move and then flew back to Washington over the weekend.

Monday was largely consumed by the administrative requirements associated with entering federal government service, including paperwork, background information, and other onboarding procedures.

By Tuesday morning, essentially her first full working day, Zacharia was already standing behind the White House podium, facing reporters who regularly challenge administration officials on domestic policy, international developments, and the president’s latest statements.

The rushed transition has become a central argument among Zacharia’s defenders, who maintain that she was never afforded a reasonable opportunity to prepare for the role.

Despite the circumstances surrounding her departure, Zacharia has continued to express strong support for Trump and his administration.

“I have always been deeply thankful for the opportunity to support President Trump and his agenda in the media in the years before he asked me to serve as Press Secretary,” Zacharia told the New York Post.

“There is no other president in history like him. He has single-handedly saved America with his effective policies, and no one has been more relentlessly attacked by the media than President Trump.”

She continued: “He deserves fair coverage of the real wins he is delivering for Americans — historic border security, massive new investments in manufacturing and energy, and the women’s health initiative he and the First Lady just launched. I continue to fully support the incredible work he is doing for the American people and for America’s interests around the world.”

The White House is now searching for another press secretary, although administration officials have indicated that an appointment is unlikely before the November midterm elections.

“I wouldn’t expect anything new pre-midterms,” a source familiar with the administration’s plans told the Post.

Leavitt confirmed that she has been involved in discussions about finding a suitable replacement and has offered to assist Trump in identifying someone capable of handling the intense demands of the position.

She described the White House press secretary role as “one of the hardest jobs in politics,” pointing to the extensive preparation, political knowledge, and personal resilience required to succeed.

“I’ve offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well,” Leavitt told Fox News.

Although she acknowledged participating in the selection process, Leavitt declined to identify any potential candidates or disclose the names being discussed within Trump’s circle.

“I’ll keep my private counsel to the president private, but I do obviously talk to him about what the job entails, and he knows it very well. Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight,” Leavitt said.

“There’s plenty of people who want the job… It’s just up to the president to make that decision.”

Leavitt herself earned considerable praise from Trump supporters for her aggressive defense of the administration and her ability to respond forcefully to hostile questioning during White House briefings.

She stepped down from the position in August after returning from maternity leave, explaining that she wanted to devote more time to her family, including her two young children.

Her departure from the White House did not mark an end to her involvement in Trump’s political operation. She continues to work as a spokesperson for the president’s political organization and remains an influential voice within his circle of advisers.

On Wednesday, Leavitt appeared in Manchester, New Hampshire, at an event associated with the Make Heaven Crowded Tour, where she discussed the preparation that went into her appearances before the White House press corps.

Reflecting on her earliest days in the position, she explained that she devoted considerable time to studying administration policies and consulting senior officials before appearing before reporters.

“I prepared like heck for that first briefing especially,” Leavitt said. “I poured myself into my preparation. I read. I studied. I talked to every cabinet member. I talked to the president.”

Leavitt has previously spoken about the difficult atmosphere inside the White House briefing room, where exchanges between reporters and administration officials can become heated.

During an interview last year with Miranda Devine on the Pod Force One podcast, Leavitt said maintaining professionalism and providing accurate information were essential even when reporters challenged the administration aggressively.

“The press briefing room can be combative, and sometimes it is behind the scenes as well, but I tell our team that we need to be professional and get them facts, and nobody does that better than President Trump,” she said.

Zacharia’s difficulties extended beyond her performance at the podium. Her first White House briefing lasted approximately 14 minutes, during which she answered only three questions, and she subsequently faced questions about her professional credentials.

Although Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law, she acknowledged that she had failed the California bar examination and was not licensed to practice law in the United States. The disclosure attracted scrutiny because she had previously been described as an attorney, including in Trump’s announcement of her appointment.

Zacharia defended her professional background, explaining that she had pursued a different career path and had worked in China. She maintained that she had not presented herself as a licensed practicing attorney when providing legal commentary.

The controversy added to concerns within the administration about whether she could effectively handle the relentless scrutiny associated with the position.

Trump himself publicly suggested that Zacharia reconsider remaining in the job, while also expressing sympathy over what he considered harsh treatment by the press.

Before her brief White House tenure, Zacharia had worked as a communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social. She had also served for several weeks in a public affairs position at the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.

Despite the criticism and her abrupt departure, Zacharia has insisted that accepting the White House appointment was the right decision.

“I’m proud I said yes, stood firm in what I believe, and kept supporting the president even when the circumstances weren’t ideal for me — showing my children what courage looks like in the face of criticism,” she told the California Post.

The search for her replacement continues, with Trump expected to make the final decision after consulting advisers about who can best represent his administration before the White House press corps.