Maria Bartiromo has been offered the position of White House press secretary in the past.

Posted by The Daily Beast Podcast, Sep 8, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 9 support2 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 65%

The Daily Beast PodcastSep 8, 2026

Axios reported, citing two senior administration officials, that Trump approached Maria Bartiromo about the press secretary job before Katie Zacharia, and that she signaled she would not take it, so the claim that she was offered the position in the past is supported.

What was said

… I would say it was that she left in conclusive circumstances. Um, and I'd say, um, you know, I don't know, if I were Maria Bartiromo, would I want that job? That is a hard, hard job. Um, so I, I, I don't know. Would she take that job? She's been offered that job before. Um, so would she take it now? I don't know. Um, but I don't think, I don't think Scott Jennings is gonna get that job. I think it will be a woman who gets that job. …

The Daily Beast Podcast · Sep 8, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Axios, citing two senior Trump administration officials, reported that Trump approached Bartiromo about the press secretary role and that she 'signaled she was not going to take the job.'[2][3][4][5][6]

Supports. Reuters-syndicated coverage states that Axios reported Trump originally offered the press secretary job to Bartiromo to replace Leavitt, but she signaled she did not want it.[7][8][9]

Supports. Katie Zacharia's endorsement of Bartiromo as her choice for the job, reported by Barrett Media, is consistent with Bartiromo having been considered for the role, though it does not itself establish an offer.[10]

Context. Vance said 'No, I don't think so' when asked whether Bartiromo would be the next press secretary; this addresses the future, not whether an offer was made earlier.[1]

Context. The offer rests on anonymous officials speaking to one outlet (Axios), and the Reuters, Mediaite, and other pickups echo that report rather than independently confirming it; the White House did not comment on the report.[2][3][11]

Sources

11 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 3, 9 not rated

1Maria Bartiromo out at Fox News Mediareuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
2Maria Bartiromo spurned Trump’s press secretary job offer: ‘Taxpayers can’t compete’rawstory.com · tier 3 · cited for: supports, context
3Trump Wanted Maria Bartiromo for Press Secretary Before Katie Zacharia: Reportmediaite.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
4Trump’s First Pick for Press Sec Revealed After 5-Day Fiascothedailybeast.com · not rated · cited for: supports
5Trump wanted Maria Bartiromo over Katie Zacharia for White ...news.meaww.com · not rated · cited for: supports
6Trump Had His Eye On Maria Bartiromo for Press Secretarypoliticalwire.com · not rated · cited for: supports
7Who's next as White House press secretary after Katie Zacharia's exit?rmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: supports
8Who's next as White House press secretary after Katie Zacharia's exit?montgomeryadvertiser.com · not rated · cited for: supports
9Who's next as White House press secretary after Katie Zacharia's exit?galvnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
10Katie Zacharia: Maria Bartiromo The Ideal Choice to Serve as Next ...barrettmedia.com · not rated · cited for: supports
11Ousted Fox News Host Reveals Her Lucrative Next Move - Yahooyahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context

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Said in 1 published post

The Daily Beast Podcast · Sep 8, 2026Post →

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