Katie Zekaria praises Trump after dismissal: 'A kind and remarkable man'

In her first statement following her dismissal, former White House spokesperson Katie Zekaria said today that working for US President Donald Trump was "an honor."

Zekaria wrote on X, posting a photo with Trump in the Oval Office: "President Trump is a kind, remarkable, generous, considerate, passionate, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has, and continues to do. It was an honor to work for him."

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After Zekaria's dismissal, Trump said he had encouraged her to reconsider staying in the job, telling her: "Frankly, if I were you, I'd think it over... Katie, do you need this? I don't think you need it."

Trump added, in remarks before departing for Georgia, that Katie Zekaria is "a nice person who was treated harshly" by the media, and that he understood she could not be happy under such pressure. He noted that he initially left the decision up to her before she was officially dismissed.

The statement came after her brief tenure, which lasted less than five days in one of the most sensitive media roles in the US administration. Trump had announced Zekaria as Caroline Leavitt's successor on October 9, but she left the post in mid-October after a turbulent period marked by criticism of her performance and questions about her professional background.

Zekaria's troubles began with her first press briefing last Tuesday, which lasted about 14 minutes and during which she answered only three questions. She also faced criticism over her preparedness with the press after saying she would need to follow up on a question regarding intelligence sharing with Ukraine.