Katie Zacharia stepped behind the White House briefing room podium for the first time on Tuesday, Oct. 13, four days after President Donald Trump named her his new press secretary. The debut was brief, and it came as reporters pressed for answers about her description of herself as an attorney.
How She Got the Job
Trump announced the pick on Friday, Oct. 9, in a post on Truth Social, then repeated it to reporters on the South Lawn, the Associated Press reported. He described her as a loyal supporter from the start of his political career. Zacharia called the appointment the honor of a lifetime.
She succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who served as press secretary from January 2025 until late August. Leavitt said she was leaving to spend more time with her young children, and Fox News Channel has said she will join it as an on-air contributor starting Nov. 1, according to the AP.
Who Is Katie Zacharia?
According to reporting by the AP, ABC News and CNN, Zacharia's background includes:
- Education: a political science degree and a law degree from Pepperdine University
- Trump Media & Technology Group: senior communications adviser since June, per her LinkedIn profile
- Department of Homeland Security: a brief stint in public affairs earlier in 2026, including time as a spokesperson
- Fix California: general counsel at the advocacy group founded by Ric Grenell
- China: several years living in Beijing; her LinkedIn lists work at a law firm there from 2011 to 2013
Questions About Her Law License
Zacharia has described herself as an attorney, and Trump called her one when he introduced her. But several outlets say they could not find any record that she has passed a bar exam or holds a license in the United States.
CNN reported that the State Bar of California said it had no record of a license under her current or maiden name. The South China Morning Post said it searched attorney records in New York, Washington, D.C., California, Texas and Florida without finding her. The issue was first raised by the newsletter Popular Information.
When reporters asked which state she had passed the bar in, Zacharia answered that it was when she moved to China, without naming a jurisdiction. In a statement to NPR, she said she had practiced international transaction law with the appropriate credentials. Trending American could not independently confirm whether she holds a bar admission in China or anywhere else.
NPR also reported that past social media posts surfaced by Popular Information, including one referencing the debunked "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory, drew criticism after her appointment.
A Short Debut
Her first briefing lasted about 15 minutes, most of it an opening statement on the administration's record, according to CNN and Gray DC. She took questions from three outlets, Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail, before ending early as Trump prepared to depart for Alaska. CNN noted that Leavitt's briefings averaged about 45 minutes.
The briefing made news of its own: Zacharia announced that the White House had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Read more about Guilfoyle's resignation.
She also told reporters to expect a heavy schedule of midterm campaign stops, including Georgia, Kentucky and Florida.
Mixed Reviews Inside the White House
Trump said afterward that he thought she did very well, and communications director Steven Cheung praised her as a strong addition to the team. But CNN, citing unnamed White House officials, reported that some advisers viewed the debut as rough and privately questioned how long she would last in the role.
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