Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia denied a New York Post report that she is seeking to reclaim the job after being fired five days into her tenure last month. “I’m not auditioning for the role,” Zacharia wrote on X, dismissing claims from anonymous sources that she was using television appearances and outreach to President Donald Trump and new Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to win a second chance as “abject falsehoods.”
The denial comes with the briefing room lectern still vacant after UFC CEO Dana White publicly turned down the position during a surprise White House appearance with Trump on Monday, telling the president, “Thank you for the offer. I do not want to be in politics.” Trump had posted on Truth Social on Saturday offering the job to the UFC chief before saying on Sunday that he was “only kidding,” an episode that also prompted former Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White to post on LinkedIn after being mistakenly contacted about the role.