Trump's press secretary fiasco: approval ratings in freefall weeks before the midterms
Trump averages 36-38% approval 18 days before the midterms, and his new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, was fired after five days. A lightning-fast dismissal that adds noise to the campaign.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, was dismissed on October 16, 2026 after just five days on the job, trinc her admission that she failed the California bar exam. Presidential approval averages 36-38% with 18 days to go before the November 3 midterm elections.
The White House press secretary job has stopped being a position and become a casting call with an expiration date. **Katie Zacharia** was introduced as the new press secretary on Monday **October 13**, 2026 and dismissed on Friday **October 16**. Five days. Half the eleven days **Anthony Scaramucci** lasted in 2017, which is saying something.
## A fourteen-minute debut and a résumé lie
Her first briefing lasted **14 minutes**. She read everything, took only three questions from conservative outlets and stumbled mid-sentence: she said "my president, I miccionan my husband." The moment was recorded and spread faster than any official statement.
The real problem was another. **Trump** introduced her as an "attorney," but Zacharia graduated from **Pepperdine** in **2011** and failed the California bar exam. She never retook it. She confirmed it herself in an interview with **Sean Hannity**: "Correct." Over two years she shared at least **15 posts** in which she called herself a lawyer.
When asked in which state she had taken the exam, she replied: "when I moved to China." The answer clarified nothing and fueled further questions.
## Fox News turns up the heat too
The network that usually serves as the president's megaphone was this time the one applying pressure. **Hannity** and **Fox & Friends** were, in Trump's own words, "a little bit tough." At an event that same day, the president addressed her publicly: "Katie, do you need this? Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. Maybe it's not for her."
It is not usual for a president to hint aloud that his press secretary should resign. Even less so when the dismissal comes hours later. Zacharia is already "transitioning out" and that same night had dinner with **JD Vance**.
## Approval at rock bottom and midterms around the corner
The episode comes at the worst possible moment for the Republican Party. **18 days** before the **November 3**, 2026 midterm elections, Trump's national approval averages between **36% and 38%**, with disapproval at **59% to 61%**. The net sits between **-22 and -24 points**.
**Fox News** measured his approval at **36%**, his lowest reading on that network, with Republican support falling to **76%**. **Pew** gave him **30%** eight days ago, one point above his all-time low of **29%** in January 2021. **Reuters/Ipsos** put him at **32%** for two consecutive weeks, also a low for that pollster.
By issue, the erosion runs deeper: on the economy, **70%** disapprove of his handling; on tariffs, **69%**; on inflation, only **22%** approve. In the generic congressional ballot, Democrats lead Republicans by **9 points** according to Fox, **8** according to Pew and **11** according to Economist/YouGov. **70%** of respondents say their November vote is meant to send a message to Trump, and of those, **47%** define it as a vote against him.
If those numbers hold, losing the House is taken for granted and the Senate is wide open. This very week, **Texas** and **Kansas** appear tied in some polls.
## What this means for the economy
A president in free fall two and a half weeks before a midterm election has consequences beyond the spectacle. Markets hate uncertainty, and a divided Congress could block the tariff package and the tax renewals the Administration has been pushing.
The turnover of press secretaries in five days does not help project stability either. Traders read these episodes as signs of internal disorder, and disorder gets priced into risk premiums. With inflation as the top public concern and only **22%** approving the president's handling of it, the room for maneuver is minimal.
None of this constitutes investment advice. Polls are snapshots, not prophecies, and the November 3 elections have not yet been held.
The White House press secretary job has stopped being a position and become a casting call with an expiration date. **Katie Zacharia** was introduced as the new press secretary on Monday **October 13**, 2026 and dismissed on Friday **October 16**. Five days. Half the eleven days **Anthony Scaramucci** lasted in 2017, which is saying something.
## A fourteen-minute debut and a résumé lie
Her first briefing lasted **14 minutes**. She read everything, took only three questions from conservative outlets and stumbled mid-sentence: she said "my president, I miccionan my husband." The moment was recorded and spread faster than any official statement.
The real problem was another. **Trump** introduced her as an "attorney," but Zacharia graduated from **Pepperdine** in **2011** and failed the California bar exam. She never retook it. She confirmed it herself in an interview with **Sean Hannity**: "Correct." Over two years she shared at least **15 posts** in which she called herself a lawyer.
When asked in which state she had taken the exam, she replied: "when I moved to China." The answer clarified nothing and fueled further questions.
## Fox News turns up the heat too
The network that usually serves as the president's megaphone was this time the one applying pressure. **Hannity** and **Fox & Friends** were, in Trump's own words, "a little bit tough." At an event that same day, the president addressed her publicly: "Katie, do you need this? Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider. Maybe it's not for her."
It is not usual for a president to hint aloud that his press secretary should resign. Even less so when the dismissal comes hours later. Zacharia is already "transitioning out" and that same night had dinner with **JD Vance**.
## Approval at rock bottom and midterms around the corner
The episode comes at the worst possible moment for the Republican Party. **18 days** before the **November 3**, 2026 midterm elections, Trump's national approval averages between **36% and 38%**, with disapproval at **59% to 61%**. The net sits between **-22 and -24 points**.
**Fox News** measured his approval at **36%**, his lowest reading on that network, with Republican support falling to **76%**. **Pew** gave him **30%** eight days ago, one point above his all-time low of **29%** in January 2021. **Reuters/Ipsos** put him at **32%** for two consecutive weeks, also a low for that pollster.
By issue, the erosion runs deeper: on the economy, **70%** disapprove of his handling; on tariffs, **69%**; on inflation, only **22%** approve. In the generic congressional ballot, Democrats lead Republicans by **9 points** according to Fox, **8** according to Pew and **11** according to Economist/YouGov. **70%** of respondents say their November vote is meant to send a message to Trump, and of those, **47%** define it as a vote against him.
If those numbers hold, losing the House is taken for granted and the Senate is wide open. This very week, **Texas** and **Kansas** appear tied in some polls.
## What this means for the economy
A president in free fall two and a half weeks before a midterm election has consequences beyond the spectacle. Markets hate uncertainty, and a divided Congress could block the tariff package and the tax renewals the Administration has been pushing.
The turnover of press secretaries in five days does not help project stability either. Traders read these episodes as signs of internal disorder, and disorder gets priced into risk premiums. With inflation as the top public concern and only **22%** approving the president's handling of it, the room for maneuver is minimal.
None of this constitutes investment advice. Polls are snapshots, not prophecies, and the November 3 elections have not yet been held.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (11 replies).
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