← Chronicle · Succession · October 17, 2026

The Press Secretary Chair Sits Vacant

The White House Press Secretary chair is empty. Karoline Leavitt departed on August 27, 2026. Her announced successor, Katie Zacharia — announced October 9, first briefing October 13 — was out by October 16–17 after roughly five days, in an exit reported by CNN and the New York Post. The @PressSec account has been dormant since October 7, and no successor has been named. The vacancy is scored on this site’s scoreboard as a setback, and the chair stays on the roster as an open seat until it is filled.

Sources: CNN and New York Post reporting, October 16, 2026 (flagged in the scoreboard entry for direct verification before further use); the @PressSec record.