Katie Zacharia leaving White House role less than five days into job

Katie Zacharia will be leaving her post as White House press secretary, just five days after her shaky public debut.

US President Donald Trump told reporters moments before news of her exit was announced that he had told her "you don't have to do this if you don't want to" and "honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider".

Zacharia faced heavy criticism for her first press briefing on Tuesday, which lasted less than 15 minutes and included only three questions from reporters.

The 42-year-old spent the days following playing defence, fielding tough questions from news outlets about her credentials and preparedness for the job.

Trump hinted at her impending exit early on Friday afternoon, during an impromptu news conference in front of the Marine One helicopter.

"I said, 'Is this for you, Katie? Because honestly, you don't need this'," Trump said.

"You don't have to be treated this badly," he continued, adding that he believed she had been treated "pretty nastily" by the media.

Hours later, she praised Trump as "kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man" on X, writing that it had been an honour to work for him.