Trump urges Zacharia to reconsider White House spokeswoman role

The News International - Oct 16, 2026

Trump urges Zacharia to reconsider White House spokeswoman roleOn Friday, US President Donald Trump said he told new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia that she should reconsider her role after facing a public backlash a week after taking the job.Trump told reporters, “I told her: 'I...

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China's Foreign Ministry responded Friday to White House press secretary Katie Zacharia's remarks that China lacked "proper toilets," suggesting that she visit the country again. Zacharia, who took office less than a week ago, made the comment during a Thursday interview with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec while discussing perceptions in 2016 that China was poised to overtake the United States. "I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, 'How is China the next country on the horizon? They don't even have proper toilets,'" she said. Asked about the remarks at a regular press briefing Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning offered a brief response. "She's welcome to come and see China when she has the opportunity," Mao said, according to the ministry's official transcript. Zacharia previously lived in Beijing, where she reportedly worked at Zhong Lun Law Firm from 2011 to 2013. The newly appointed spokesperson has also faced scrutiny over her legal credentials after acknowledging that she had not passed a U.S. bar examination.

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Friday, calling for a ceasefire in a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine, as he recovers in hospital from a lung cancer operation. The Vatican said that Pope Leo "expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population." The surprise notice from the Vatican Friday evening suggested that the recovering pope is still hard at work, despite Tuesday's operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. Residents of Oleshky in southern Ukraine are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis with shortages of food and medication as they are caught in the crossfire between Russian and Ukrainian troops. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk denounced on Friday a "desperate" situation in the city, calling on Russia to enable civilians to evacuate. In a note, the Kremlin said the two had tal

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Trump's New Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Fired After Less Than A Week On The Job

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia was fired after less than a week following a difficult briefing and questions regarding her credentials.

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