Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is weighing in on successor Katie Zacharia after she lasted just five days on the job.
"White House press secretary is a tough job," Leavitt told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday, Oct. 21 interview. "I know that because I did it, obviously for almost two years, and many people say it's one of the hardest jobs in politics."
Noting the job "takes a lot of preparation," Leavitt said, "sometimes you don't know how someone will perform until they go out there."
"We wish Katie the best," Leavitt said. "The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well."
Trump asked Zacharia to consider stepping down
Zacharia made her debut at the White House's James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on Oct. 13, a little over a month after Leavitt stepped
down from the post, but by Oct. 19, she was on her way out.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Oct. 16 that the press secretary job might not be for Zacharia and said he had asked her to consider stepping down.
"I said to Katie, 'You know, you don't have to do this if you don't want to,'" Trump said, adding that she's been treated "very rough" and "nastily" by the media. "I said, 'Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. You think about it, but I'd reconsider.'"
Besides a rocky first press briefing, Zacharia also faced criticism for misrepresenting herself as a lawyer. The Pepperdine University law school graduate later acknowledged that she failed the California bar exam and is not licensed to practice law.
Zacharia, 41, a conservative commentator, who also worked as senior communications adviser for the company that runs Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, said "it was an honor" to work for the president.
"President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man," Zacharia said in an Oct. 16 post on X. "I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to."
Leavitt is helping Trump pick the next secretary
While Trump appears to be in no hurry to pick her replacement, Leavitt said she's helping her former boss choose the next person for the position.
"I've offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well," Leavitt told Fox, adding the president "is continuing to look over options."
"There's a lot of people who want that job. It's an amazing job. It provides you with incredible opportunities," she said.
Any decision on the next press secretary isn't expected until after the Nov. 3 midterm election, USA TODAY reported.
"President Trump and his team are focused on the midterm election," Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said when asked about the timeframe for replacing Zacharia.
Trump needs someone 'tough,' Leavitt says
When asked what advice she has offered to the president on the matter, Leavitt said she'd "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," Leavitt said. "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, who made history as White House's youngest press secretary, served in the role from the start of Trump's second term until Aug. 27, when she stepped down to spend more time with her family. She has two children with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60: a daughter, Viviana, born in May and a 2-year-old son, Nicholas.
Her combative and energetic style made her one of the administration's most recognizable public faces. At the end of her tenure, she also became the second-longest-serving press secretary under Trump after now-Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served in the role for almost two years during Trump’s first term.
Leavitt focused on being a wife and mom
Leavitt, who also ran for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022, was also asked if she would consider running for office again, to which she said no.
"No, I'm all set. I don't have any plans to run for office in the near future at all, or in the future at all," Leavitt said. "I am home with my family, and we're really excited about that."
She added at the moment that she is "really focused on being a wife and a mother to my two very young children."
"That's why I made the decision to leave Washington. So we're just happy to be home and enjoying the ride," she said.
Leavitt will be joining Fox News at the start of November as an on-air contributor.
Contributing: Mike Snider, Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson, Francesca Chambers, Bart Jansen / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Leavitt says press secretary job was 'obviously' not for Zacharia
