Even Scaramucci wonders if Katie Zacharia will make it to his 11-day run as press secretary

Even Scaramucci wonders if Katie Zacharia will make it to his 11-day run as press secretary Scaramucci also reposted a meme comparing Zacharia to a head of lettuce, referencing a viral 2022 challenge over whether Liz Truss would outlast a wilting lettuce as British prime minister - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Even Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director who lasted just 11 days on the job, is wondering whether press secretary Katie Zacharia could outlast his dubious record after her rocky Tuesday debut. Scaramucci, who briefly served in President Donald Trump’s first administration in 2017, took to X to weigh in on Zacharia’s 14-minute inaugural press briefing in the James Brady Briefing Room, which quickly became a target of online mockery. “The clock is running,” Scaramucci wrote, sharing a throwback video of former White House press secretary Sean Spicer in the briefing room. “Thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci,” he added, referencing his own notoriously short tenure. Trump appointed Scaramucci on July 21, 2017, but his time in the White House quickly unraveled. He clashed with then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who resigned days later, and made candid remarks to a reporter without first establishing that their conversation was off the record. Trump fired Scaramucci days later on July 31. Zacharia’s debut went viral, but for less flattering reasons. She appeared to confuse Trump with her husband during the briefing and took just three questions from right-wing reporters before ending the session. Despite poking fun at Zacharia’s rough start, Scaramucci pushed back against the suggestion that he was rooting for her to fail to protect his record. After one X user suggested he might be “happy” about her performance because she could soon surpass his brief time in the White House, Scaramucci replied: “Not me. I hope she makes it.” Scaramucci later joined in on a viral joke comparing Zacharia’s tenure to the shelf life of a head of lettuce. The meme recalls the 2022 internet challenge that tracked whether former British Prime Minister Liz Truss would remain in office longer than a head of lettuce before it wilted. Truss resigned after just 49 days. Sharing an image of Zacharia next to a head of lettuce, Scaramucci wrote: “I want her to get past the lettuce.” He continued to defend his comments Wednesday after another X user urged him to “have some class” and “don’t be a rude man.” “I wish her well,” Scaramucci replied. “The administration is an abomination but I don’t wish for her demise. As an American I am exercising my right to explain how damaging they are to their fellow Americans and the world. But I don’t want to see her fired. However that is a job where you have to lie. So there is that,” Scaramucci added. Beyond her awkward debut, Zacharia is facing questions about her legal credentials, with no public evidence that she passed a bar exam in the U.S. or elsewhere. She worked at a law firm in Beijing after graduating from law school, but it remains unclear whether she was licensed to practice law. Zacharia insisted Tuesday that she had “practiced international transactional law, with all the appropriate credentials.” A White House official said she worked in international transaction law after moving to China with her husband. Zacharia’s next briefing has not been announced. She said Tuesday that reporters could question Trump during his upcoming midterm campaign travel and noted that he was scheduled to return Thursday. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments