Zacharia's five day tenure ended Friday afternoon while she was in her West Wing office being interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and insisting that "there are no staffing changes that are happening." Senior adviser Jason Miller knocked on her door and told her Vice President JD Vance "wanted to chat with us real quick" as Trump walked outside to tell reporters he had advised her to reconsider the job; she never returned to the interview or the post.
Politico reported that Trump had privately told aides in an earlier meeting that Zacharia had "no talent" and should not appear on television. Following her exit, Zacharia praised Trump in a statement and said "it was an honor to work for him," while Trump told Fox News he is in "no rush" to name a replacement and has no shortlist as infighting and questions over Wiles's future grip the White House less than three weeks before the midterm elections.