Trump's new press secretary out after less than week

Washington (AFP)

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was pushed out on Friday after less than a week in the high-profile job, following a series of blunders that added to distractions for her embattled boss President Donald Trump.

"Can confirm," a White House official told AFP, after Fox News reported that Zacharia, 41, was "transitioning out."

The writing was on the wall earlier when Trump made clear he was ready to see his newly minted spokeswoman go amid criticism that she had pretended to be a lawyer and over her one, much-mocked press briefing.

"I said, 'Katie, is this for you?,'" Trump told reporters. "I said, 'Katie, you don't have to do this'... I said to her, 'Honestly if I were you I'd reconsider.'"

Zacharia only began her job five days ago, taking over from the combative Karoline Leavitt, who helped Trump reshape White House coverage by bringing in more friendly outlets and fiercely attacking critical media.

Zacharia had got off to a rocky start with her debut press room briefing  on Tuesday morning.

It lasted less than 15 minutes, beginning with a remarkably slow reading out of what she said were Trump's many accomplishments - then taking just three questions from journalists.

She then was plunged into controversy when it emerged that her previous claims to be a lawyer were not true.

The kerfuffle is a distraction for 80-year-old Trump as he flies around the country trying to boost Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 congressional midterm elections.

While Zacharia does have a law degree from a California university, she acknowledged on Thursday she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States.