Katie Zacharia spent week "unusually isolated" before ouster as press secretary, aide says

[0:00] Hi, I'm Lindsay Reiser, and we're continuing our breaking news coverage out of Washington. [0:04] Two U.S. officials say Katie Zachariah is being moved out of the White House press secretary role. [0:11] A White House aide tells CBS News Zachariah spent the week unusually isolated [0:16] and didn't function as a press secretary. [0:19] The aide went on to say no one thought she was going to stick around for long. [0:23] Zachariah was fired after less than a week on the job. [0:26] CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes joins me now. [0:29] And Nancy, correct me if I'm wrong, I think this beats Scaramucci's record. [0:35] It does. [0:36] Zachariah lasted about a week in the role Scaramucci in the first term, held the position for a whopping 11 days. [0:43] So she does hold the new record. [0:46] What exactly she will do now is very unclear. [0:50] You mentioned that terminology that she is transitioning out of the role. [0:55] Unclear if she's taking on some other role or if she will simply return to private life. [1:00] She does live in California with her husband and four children. [1:04] She said that they were going to be making the move here to Washington, D.C. [1:08] But, of course, things are a little scrambled now. [1:11] So we'll have to wait and see exactly where she lands. [1:13] The president spoke with reporters earlier. [1:16] He said she is a nice person, but that it was a difficult week for her. [1:20] He added he would talk to her when he returns to Washington. [1:23] He said, I'm going to let her make that decision. [1:24] But I said to her, honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. [1:27] And a lot of aides were learning about this via the media. [1:31] The New York Times was the first to report this. [1:34] But I thought it was very interesting that she had a few tough interviews with Fox News this morning and last night. [1:41] Right, and typically you would think that those would be friendly interviews, as Fox interviews tend to be, when it's someone within the president's orbit. [1:53] Perhaps they'd look to give her sort of a soft landing after a rocky beginning. [1:58] But that did not turn out to be the case with Sean Hannity asking Zachariah Point Blank whether she had misrepresented her background when she called herself a lawyer. [2:10] And then this morning on Fox and Friends, she was asked Point Blank if she still has the support and confidence of the president of the United States. [2:19] And I think it is really an indication of how many staffers inside the White House were feeling about her. [2:26] They were blindsided when she was hired by the president last week. [2:31] And she was not someone who they had worked with consistently. [2:37] They had concerns about whether she would be able to slide into the role at an especially delicate time, just a few weeks before the midterm elections. [2:45] And they did not feel that her maiden voyage, her initial White House press briefing, went very well on Tuesday morning where she took just a handful of questions. [2:55] She said on Fox that, you know, she hadn't had much time to prepare, that she had just gotten the job, that it came after a holiday weekend, that she did the briefing first thing in the morning, [3:07] which is always difficult when you're trying to anticipate what everyone will ask. [3:11] But obviously it wasn't sort of the confident portrayal that White House staffers would hope to see from the person who is designed to be the president's chief mouthpiece. [3:24] I mean, a lot of people are saying she had big shoes to fill, that Caroline Levitt was very beloved by the administration. [3:29] I know that her only press briefing was Tuesday, and for the most part, she was traveling with the president. [3:37] She would maybe go over to where you're standing there on the lawn, but didn't take questions today. [3:41] I mean, did you have interactions with her? [3:44] Can you help inform us about what you picked up on in terms of her style? [3:49] Well, I had two interactions with her this week. [3:51] Three, I guess, if you count sitting in the front row at the White House briefing, [3:55] although I didn't have the opportunity to ask her some of the many questions that I had for her. [3:59] No, because she called on three people, and one was from the new media. [4:02] Right, she called on three people, exactly. [4:04] But I did interact with her on the White House North Lawn the day after that briefing, [4:10] where President Trump was asked by a reporter, where did Katie Zachariah pass the bar exam? [4:19] And he was sort of startled by the question. [4:21] I don't think he knew about the controversy that was bubbling up. [4:23] And he turned to her, because she was standing right behind him, and said, [4:27] where did you take the bar? [4:29] Or where did you pass the bar? [4:30] And she said, I went to China. [4:32] And then a bunch of us who were standing there repeated the question, [4:35] because that statement didn't seem to answer it. [4:37] We said, where did you pass the bar? [4:39] And she again said, I went to China, [4:42] which appeared to be an attempt to explain why she hadn't successfully sat for the bar [4:50] and gotten licensed to practice law in California. [4:56] And, you know, so that sparked several more days of questions and controversy. [4:59] And then the other interaction I had with her, as you point out, [5:03] was right here on the White House driveway a few hours ago. [5:08] She was doing one of those interviews I mentioned on Fox News, [5:11] and then she was walking back into the West Wing. [5:13] There were a bunch of reporters, including myself, waiting for her, [5:16] because often what will happen is a White House official will do a live interview out here [5:24] on the North Lawn, and then they will walk back along the driveway to the West Wing, [5:29] and that gives you an opportunity to stop them and ask them questions. [5:32] And sometimes they will stop and take those questions for a while. [5:36] Sometimes they won't stop, and they'll say, I'm too busy, [5:38] or I've got a meeting, and can't do it, and they just keep walking. [5:41] This was sort of a third approach that we're not used to, [5:44] where she stopped and said, I'm really glad to see you. [5:48] I'm really looking forward to working with all of you, [5:51] really excited about representing this president, [5:54] but I'm not taking any questions. [5:56] And then she walked away. [5:57] What more can you tell us? [5:59] I know that you mentioned that she hadn't had a really close relationship with some aides, [6:03] but what more can you tell us about how the president chose her? [6:06] Did he do, you know, ask some of his most trusted aides, [6:10] Susie Wiles, for example, for advice on her selection? [6:15] So I think that the selection process has always been very challenging. [6:21] The universe of potential candidates has been quite small. [6:25] Because this is a president who is looking for someone who has always shown loyalty to him, [6:33] someone who's got a lot of credibility, [6:36] but someone who is going to speak on his behalf, [6:40] even when the president says things that are unorthodox or unexpected, [6:44] or when he changes his position. [6:46] And so, you know, that is a tall order. [6:51] And they hadn't really found someone who completely fit the bill. [6:55] And I should mention a fourth thing, [6:57] which is that the president really liked Caroline Leavitt. [6:59] He had worked with her for a long time. [7:01] She was really, you know, a trusted member of his inner circle. [7:05] And there wasn't necessarily anyone on staff who really could step into those shoes, [7:11] especially when the president believes that he himself is the best messenger for his views [7:16] and, you know, speaks to the press on a very regular basis. [7:19] So the position had kind of gone unfilled for a while. [7:23] And then suddenly last week, kind of out of the blue, [7:25] we learned that he had hired Katie Zachariah. [7:28] And not long after, there were reports that he had not gone sort of through the traditional channels [7:34] and talked it over with his White House chief of staff the way that you typically would expect [7:40] when it comes to a position that is this pivotal, that he had kind of gone out on his own. [7:45] She was somebody that he told us today he watched for a long time on TV and he really liked her [7:51] and he thought she did a good job. [7:53] And so he just kind of offered her the job on the spur of the moment. [7:57] And that was just a few days before she stepped into this role, [8:01] which, you know, can be difficult even for people who have worked in a White House for years. [8:07] It is really harder than it looks to serve as White House press secretary. [8:12] And there are so many ways that you can get tripped up. [8:16] So, you know, it was a sort of an unorthodox path to the White House podium. [8:21] And now it appears to be an unorthodox departure as well. [8:25] You mentioned the timing here. [8:27] Do you think the proximity to the midterms and the fact that it appears [8:30] that Republicans are maybe not as confident in their chances [8:35] of maintaining control of Congress without it had something to do with this quick exit? [8:40] You know, I think it could have prompted the president to suddenly make this choice, [8:44] the feeling that we are close to a midterm election [8:47] and he would like somebody to offer another spirited defense of him [8:53] and his administration and to get out there [8:55] and to push his message and his agenda [8:57] and to talk up all of these rallies that he's doing around the country. [9:02] That's something that Zachariah herself said [9:04] when she was standing at the podium talking to us [9:07] at her first and only briefing. [9:08] But yes, then once all these questions about her law degree started swirling [9:16] and her decision to designate herself a lawyer, [9:19] then she very quickly became a potential liability for him [9:22] right at the end of the midterm election season. [9:25] And so clearly he decided to move quickly, [9:30] especially after he was able to watch her on Fox News last night [9:35] and this morning, which he told us he did, [9:37] told us he watched both of those appearances [9:39] and then told her that perhaps she'd be happier doing something else. [9:45] Okay, Nancy Cordes, thank you. [9:47] Let's go now to former White House principal deputy press secretary [9:50] in the Trump administration, Harrison Fields. [9:52] He joins me now. Harrison, good to see you. [9:54] Nancy was just saying it's harder than it looks. [9:56] What is your take? [9:58] I know that a few days ago you were telling my colleague, [10:01] Major Garrett, that she didn't necessarily have a shining first day, [10:04] but did this news catch you by surprise? [10:08] I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. [10:11] You know, it was a very rocky start [10:13] and the knives seemed to be kind of out [10:16] in terms of the leaks that were coming out of the White House [10:21] to some individuals in the press about her tenure there. [10:25] I wanted to offer her a lot of grace, right? [10:27] This is not an easy job. [10:28] I've been in this room several times [10:30] across two Trump administrations, [10:32] and that place is very hostile. [10:35] It's very tough to be the White House press secretary, [10:37] and we all wished her well, [10:39] and I do think she had the team available to her [10:43] to get over this hump, [10:44] but the problem is you can't become the story [10:47] as press secretary. [10:48] Your job is to tell the story, [10:51] and we saw what happened yesterday on Fox News. [10:54] There was no talk about the upcoming election. [10:56] There was no talk about the president's historic achievements [11:00] for the American people. [11:01] It was only about her. [11:03] So when you make the news about yourself, [11:05] and she wasn't doing that intentionally, [11:07] you're going to find yourself probably an earlier exit [11:11] than you hoped for. [11:12] But the president, and I want to reiterate this, [11:14] the president respects Katie Zachariah. [11:17] He respects her family. [11:19] He respects her commitment and willingness to serve the country, [11:22] and we should all do that. [11:24] But this transition, it seems the reporting is accurate, [11:27] and no one from the White House is really backing away from it. [11:30] We'll be good for her, I think, long term, [11:32] and we'll see what happens. [11:33] I don't think we should rush [11:34] in picking the next White House press secretary. [11:37] We're less than three weeks from the election. [11:40] The president is going to be the key spokesperson on the trail, [11:44] and I think it should remain that way leading into the midterms. [11:46] Would you suggest he wait until after the election? [11:48] I would. I would. There's no need to rush this. [11:52] There's no need for on-the-job training. [11:54] It's clear it's not going to be an internal pick. [11:57] This will have to come from the outside. [11:59] And if you don't even know where the bathrooms are on the West Wing, [12:01] you should probably wait until after the midterms [12:03] to become the White House press secretary. [12:06] Again, the president is going to hit the ground running [12:08] and talk about the achievements for the American people, [12:11] and hopefully there'll be some surrogates out there through the RNC, [12:15] through other mediums to communicate the message as well. [12:19] I am an unofficial spokesperson. [12:20] I'm here, obviously, in my official capacity as a CBS political contributor, [12:25] but I'm out there trying to remind the American people the historic achievements. [12:30] And I know I have a lot of friends out there that are willing to do the same [12:32] and will be the unofficial press secretaries until one is named. [12:37] But there's a good message to tell. [12:39] Historic tax relief for the American people, [12:41] a secure border, parental rights back in America's schools, [12:44] crime at a historic low, [12:46] and record investment back in this country. [12:48] We have to continue to shepherd that message. [12:50] But, Harrison, nobody's talking about those messages. [12:52] It's affordability. [12:56] Well, the president is talking about affordability. [12:57] The vice president is talking about affordability. [12:59] He's reminding them what he did in terms of no taxes on tips, [13:02] no taxes on overtime, [13:04] historic wage earnings for the American people, [13:08] and reminding the American people the job is not done. [13:11] We inherited it a mess. [13:12] Remember, 9.1 percent inflation under the previous administration. [13:15] Here we are at 3.7 percent. [13:18] Inflation still has to come down. [13:19] Housing prices have to still come down. [13:22] Grocery prices still have to come down. [13:24] But if you look at what the president is doing [13:25] in terms of a deregulation and lower tax agenda, [13:28] he is trying his best to get these numbers down. [13:31] They're being extremely stubborn. [13:32] There's a lot of, you know, things tied to the war. [13:36] That's unfortunate. [13:37] But the president's working day in and day out [13:39] to get the economy back in control. [13:41] The war that the president started [13:42] and also tied to his tariffs. [13:44] Well, it's an easy talking point [13:46] to just, you know, say that the president started the war. [13:48] This has been a war that we've been in for 47 years, [13:50] if we're being honest. [13:51] The president took the bold action [13:54] to neuter the Iranian regime [13:56] who's been chanting debt to America for 47 years. [13:59] So for the president to take bold action [14:01] and to neuter the nuclear capabilities [14:05] of one of the most hostile regimes in the world, [14:08] not just to us, but to Israel and really the entire world, [14:11] you've got to commend the president for taking this step. [14:13] We could have easily kicked the can down the road [14:15] to another president and to another administration, [14:18] but the president said, not today, not on my watch. [14:20] If we have the opportunity to neuter them, [14:21] we're going to do that. [14:22] We'll see where the chips fall ultimately with that decision. [14:25] And to your point about the tariffs, [14:27] the tariffs have brought jobs back to this country. [14:29] You're seeing onshoring in a record amount. [14:31] You just saw a $20 billion investment [14:34] from the Japanese government to upstate New York [14:36] for a 70-conductor manufacturing facility [14:39] with global foundries. [14:41] That is a direct result of the tariffs. [14:43] So we can complain about the tariffs all that you want, [14:46] but that's bringing investment back into the country. [14:48] Harrison Fields, thank you. [14:51] Thank you for having me.