Katie Zacharia, Donald Trump's press secretary, was fired last Friday after just five days in the job, becoming the latest casualty of a lettuce-based challenge staged by the US political group The Lincoln Project.
The group posted footage of a lettuce beside a framed picture of Zacharia with the message “Start the clocks”, echoing the Daily Star's world-famous livestream that saw a 60p vegetable outlast Liz Truss's 49-day premiership in 2022.
Short Tenure and Mockery
Zacharia's brief time in the role has been dubbed “half a Scaramucci”, a reference to Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's former White House communications director who lasted just 11 days. Scaramucci joined the mocking, declaring before she was axed: “I want her to get past the lettuce.”
Her first and only White House press briefing, held last Tuesday, lasted just 14 minutes and saw her take three questions. The performance was widely panned, leading to her dismissal.
Chief of Staff's Role
Reports claimed that Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, was behind the execution. Known as Trump's “ice maiden,” Wiles had been completely bypassed by the president in the decision to hire Zacharia.
Following her departure, Zacharia posted an image of herself with Trump, praising him: “President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. It was an honor to work for him.”
Trump's Defense
Before she was fired, Trump claimed Zacharia had been treated “very unfairly” by the media. He said: “She's been treated very rough. And she's a nice person. Very nice person. I've watched her for years on television. But I said, is this for you, Katie?”
Trump added: “You don't need this. You don't have to be treated. I would say the fake news, but just generally, the media has been very rough.”
