Karoline Leavitt Defends Katie Zacharia to Bill Maher, Cites Trump's 'The Apprentice'

Karoline Leavitt On Katie Zacharia Press Secretary Is A 'Very Tough' Job, Bill Maher!!! Published October 24, 2026 5:24 AM PDT Karoline Leavitt came to the defense of recently fired White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, calling it a "very tough job" and giving her credit for trying it out while comparing her situation to an episode of President Trump's former TV show, "The Apprentice." Leavitt -- who was Trump's press secretary before Zacharia -- sat down with Bill Maher on his show, "Real Time With Bill Maher," ... and at one point during their convo, they turned to the subject of Zacharia's firing. Leavitt pointed out that being a press secretary is a "very tough job" ... and that some say, "it's one of the hardest jobs in Washington." She then praised Zacharia for having the guts to step up to the podium -- even though she lasted just 5 days on the job -- "because only 37 people in history have been the White House Press Secretary." Then Leavitt quickly pivoted, saying the president believed Zacharia wasn't a good fit, so it was time for a new press secretary. Bill chimed in with a baseball analogy to make the argument that it's unusual for someone to be ousted from the press secretary job on such short notice. Leavitt responded that the president once had a "hit show" called "The Apprentice" where he was known for "moving on from people" -- and firing them on national TV!!! As you may know, Leavitt served as the youngest White House press secretary in history at age 27 from January 2025 to August 2026 during Trump's current second term in office. Leavitt said she left the position to spend more time with her family and 2 young children. In October, Trump appointed Zacharia to the job -- but, by all accounts, Zacharia flubbed her first press conference and was promptly forced out of the role, making her the shortest-serving White House press secretary ever. Related articles Donald Trump Katie Zacharia Bill Maher Karoline Leavitt President Trump Katie Zacharia Fired White House Celebrity Apprentice Politics News