{"text":[[{"start":8.6,"text":"White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has been removed after Donald Trump told her she should “reconsider” her position after five days in the job."}],[{"start":18.049999999999997,"text":"Friday’s move came after Zacharia’s performance as his chief spokesperson was widely panned after a short and jittery first news briefing on Tuesday, from which she failed to recover throughout the week."}],[{"start":28.799999999999997,"text":"“I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I’d reconsider. You think about it, but I would reconsider,’” Trump said. The White House later confirmed that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of her position but did not say who would replace her."}],[{"start":43.449999999999996,"text":"Zacharia’s quick exit comes as the White House faces growing turmoil ahead of midterm elections in early November in which the president’s Republican Party risks losing control of Congress."}],[{"start":54.89999999999999,"text":"Trump told reporters he had watched Fox News’ interviews with Zacharia on Thursday night and Friday morning and said the anchors were “a little tough” on her."}],[{"start":63.349999999999994,"text":"The president said the news media had treated Zacharia “pretty nastily”, and that he told her: “‘You want to really live like this? I don’t think they’ll ever ease up.’”"}],[{"start":73.94999999999999,"text":"“You don’t want to go through it,” Trump said he told Zacharia. “She has suffered over the last few days . . . maybe it’s not for her.”"}],[{"start":81.29999999999998,"text":"Trump said that when he told Zacharia, “You don’t have to do this,” she replied: “This is a lot tougher.” "}],[{"start":88.29999999999998,"text":"“I said, ‘Welcome to the world of Trump.’”"}],[{"start":92.34999999999998,"text":"Trump told Fox News on Friday that he is in “no rush” to name a replacement for Zacharia. The president said there is no shortlist of candidates right now, but that he is fielding calls about the role because the White House press secretary job makes people “a star”."}],[{"start":109.34999999999998,"text":"Vice-president JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance were set to host Zacharia and her family for dinner on Friday night, according to a person familiar with the matter."}],[{"start":119.24999999999999,"text":"“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man,” Zacharia wrote on social media site X late on Friday. “I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him.”"}],[{"start":137.85,"text":"Zacharia had been tapped by Trump to replace Karoline Leavitt, his press secretary for most of his second term, who was considered a loyal and effective spokesperson for the president and his administration. "}],[{"start":149.6,"text":"The job became more difficult this year as Trump’s approval ratings cratered amid deepening voter anxieties about the high cost of living and heavy criticism of the Iran war even from Republicans. "}],[{"start":163.1,"text":"Zacharia’s days-old tenure leading the White House press office is reminiscent of Anthony Scaramucci’s 11-day stint as Trump’s communications director during his first term as president. "}],[{"start":174.45,"text":"“Records are made to be broken,” wrote Scaramucci on X after news of Zacharia’s exit. “But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”"}],[{"start":182.6,"text":"Trump’s decision to push out Zacharia comes after the president fired Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, in another embarrassing episode for him. Guilfoyle, the former fiancée of the president’s son Donald Trump Jr, was forced out after reports of improper conduct published by The Wall Street Journal. "}],[{"start":202.25,"text":"While Zacharia had joined Trump for a trip to Alaska earlier this week, she was not on his Air Force One flight to Georgia for a campaign event on Friday. As well as struggling with her public appearances this week, Zacharia also suffered after it emerged that she had not passed the bar exam to become an attorney, despite frequently referring to herself as a lawyer. "}],[{"start":225.6,"text":"Additional reporting by Claire Jones in Washington"}],[{"start":237.7,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1792206408_8878.mp3"}