Former Rep. George Santos said he would jump at the chance to serve as President Donald Trump’s press secretary, hours after Katie Zakaria announced she was resigning from the position.
“Hey, technically I don’t have a job opening yet because I already have a job…butttttttt…I would not hesitate to jump into being press secretary for the President of the United States. Just saying,” the former Republican congressman from New York wrote on Friday night.
There is no indication that Santos is being considered for the role. newsweek The White House has been contacted for comment on who will succeed Zakaria.
A White House official confirmed newsweek On Friday, Zakaria “transitioned” the position after just five days on the job.
Santos was ousted from Congress in late 2023 and convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Trump commuted his sentence in October 2025 after serving three months in prison.
Trump suggests Zakaria ‘reconsider’ role amid criticism
Zakaria faced fierce criticism after her first and only news conference on Tuesday as questions mounted about her legal background. Although the position does not require an attorney’s license, she describes herself as an attorney despite not passing the U.S. Bar exam.
The conservative commentator graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law and took the bar exam in 2011 but failed. She called the outcome “irrelevant” because she knew she would be moving to China. She also got married that same week.
“I practice international transactions law and have all the appropriate qualifications,” Zakaria told newsweek in a statement earlier this week.
Fox News host Sean Hannity grilled Zakaria on Thursday night about his legal background. Santos criticized Hannity’s handling of the interview.
Santos posted on X: “You think you are a pariah and like to judge others from above.”
The California Bar Association has previously stated newsweek There is no record of Zacharias being licensed to practice law in the state under his married or maiden name.
On Friday, Trump told reporters that he had advised Zakaria to “reconsider” her position.
“I just asked her, ‘Is this for you?'” Trump said, adding that she had been treated poorly by the media. “She’s a good person. I’ll let her make the decision.”
On Friday night, Zakaria thanked Trump for the opportunity and said it was an honor to work for him.
“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, caring, passionate and hard-working man,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one has made America as great as he has and continues to do.”
Laura Loomer, a conservative commentator and part-time adviser to Trump, has also filed to run for the position.
“Hear me out: Press Secretary Laura Loomer,” she wrote on the X.
Who can replace Zacharias?
The government has once again been tasked with filling the vacancy left by Carolyn Leavitt, who left her post in late August to spend more time with her family. In May this year, she gave birth to her second child.
Prior to Zakaria’s appointment, other picks included CNN commentator Scott Jennings, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, communications director Steven Chang and conservative author Elizabeth Pipko.
Trump has publicly praised Jennings as a potential successor and recommended White House adviser Margo Martin.
On Saturday, prediction market Calshey ranked Jennings as the leading contender, followed by Kelly and former Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
Axios reported on Friday that Trump wants Bartiromo to replace Leavitt, two administration sources said. Bartiromo, one of Trump’s most prominent television allies, left Fox News in September after more than a decade there. Fox gave no reason for her departure, fueling speculation about her next steps.
Newsweek reporters and editors used our artificial intelligence assistant Martyn to produce this story. Learn more about Martin here. Please contact Newsweek editors Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray about this story.