Trump said he had just told Zacharia, “If I were you, I’d reconsider.”
Zacharia has faced criticism in the days since she led a shaky first press briefing. She also has come under scrutiny about her legal background.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
Trump spoke to reporters before heading to Georgia for a political rally as he hopes to boost Republicans’ electoral chances with just 18 days until the midterms.
But Trump’s efforts to sell his agenda have been muddled in part by Zacharia, who ended her first, and so far only, press briefing on Tuesday after delivering halting remarks and taking questions from just three reporters.
“I just spoke to her about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?'” Trump said outside the White House.
“You know, she’s been treated very rough. And she’s a nice person,” Trump said of Zacharia, accusing the media of treating her “very badly.”
Trump said that even Fox News TV host Sean Hannity, a supporter of the administration, was “a little bit tough” on Zacharia during her appearance on his show Thursday night.
“She’s been treated, I would say, pretty nastily,” Trump said. “And I said to Katie just two minutes ago, I said, ‘Katie, you know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want.'”
Asked if he would keep her in the role, Trump said, “I’m going to let her make that decision.”
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