Is the 'clock running' already for Trump's new press secretary? Here's how his others fared

Katie Zacharia has held her first media briefing as the new White House press secretary - but commentators are wondering whether she can last longer in the role than some of her predecessors.

Here, we take a look at Donald Trump's White House press secretaries during both of his terms as president and how long they lasted in the position.

Sean Spicer

Sean Spicer is known for insisting the president's inauguration pulled the largest crowd ever seen on the National Mall in Washington DC.

This was despite pictures appearing to show that Barack Obama's ceremony enjoyed greater attendance.

He later admitted he made "missteps" during his short stint as Mr Trump's press secretary.

Mr Spicer resigned from his White House press role in July 2017, after just six months.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Ms Sanders was widely seen as one of President Trump's most trusted lieutenants and had a high-profile while working on his first election campaign.

She became a stand-in for Mr Trump on television during his 2016 presidency run.

But during her time, relations with the press often broke down - including long periods where she did not hold formal briefings.

Ms Sanders, who is the current governor of Arkansas, was interviewed as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

The report said Ms Sanders admitted she had made an unfounded claim about "countless" agents not supporting FBI director James Comey, who was fired by Mr Trump in May 2017.

She left the role at the end of June 2019 after two years.

Stephanie Grisham

Ms Grisham was a close ally of US first lady Melania Trump, for whom she was spokeswoman since March 2017.

She worked with Mr Trump since he launched his presidential bid in 2015 and was fiercely loyal to him.

She was the first press secretary to never hold a single formal media briefing.

Ms Grisham took on the role in July 2019, but left less than a year later to take over as the first lady's chief of staff.

Kayleigh McEnany

Initially a critic of Mr Trump during the Republican primaries, Ms McEnany eventually took on a leading role in his administration in April 2020.

She would be the final press secretary of his first term in office, leaving the position in January 2021.

In the days after the deadly violence at the US Capitol when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the complex, Ms McEnany made a brief appearance to make a short statement.

She said the White House condemns the violence "in the strongest possible terms", saying it was "unacceptable".

Mr Trump did not appear at the briefing.

Karoline Leavitt

Mr Trump's second term started with Ms Leavitt as press secretary in January 2025.

She was the youngest person to hold the office in US history.

Ms Leavitt was still only aged 28 when she announced her departure two months ago so she could spend more time with her family.

She previously served as a press aide for Mr Trump during his first term in the White House.

Katie Zacharia

In her first press briefing at the White House this week, Ms Zacharia took just three questions and left after just 14 minutes.

She "looked downward and often read directly from a script", reported the Associated Press.

Other early reviews were more critical.

MS NOW quoted one unnamed White House official as saying of the performance: "She needs to get much better fast, otherwise she'll break Scaramucci's record."

Anthony Scaramucci, a White House communications director for Trump during his first term, lasted 11 days in 2017.

He said on social media of Ms Zacharia, "I hope she makes it", but added: "The clock is running. Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci."

Ms Zacharia briefly worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and has been a political commentator for news outlets as well as a senior communications adviser to Mr Trump's social media platform.

Anthony Scaramucci

Mr Scaramucci's arrival in the West Wing on 21 July 2017 coincided with the resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer.

But the new communications director did not even last two weeks.

In comments published in the New Yorker, Mr Scaramucci promptly called a senior White House colleague a "paranoid schizophrenic" and threatened to "eliminate everyone" in his communications team.

The wealthy New York financier was later removed from his position, with Mr Trump insisting there was "no chaos" at the White House.

(c) Sky News 2026: Is the 'clock running' already for Trump's new press secretary? Here's how his others fared