Who is Katie Zacharia, the White House Press Secretary ‘let go’ after five days in office?

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was “let go” from the role, a White House official said on Friday (October 16, 2026), after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had asked her to reconsider the position following public scrutiny.

The move comes after Ms. Zacharia faced questions over her legal credentials. On Thursday (October 15, 2026), she appeared to acknowledge that she had not passed the bar examination, while maintaining that she had accurately described herself as a “lawyer”.

Who is Katie Zacharia?

Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform, was offered the position of White House Press Secretary following Karoline Leavitt’s departure in August 2026.

Mr. Trump announced on Friday (October 9, 2026) that Ms. Zacharia would succeed Ms. Leavitt as White House Press Secretary.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump described Ms. Zacharia as “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning”. He said she had worked on his presidential campaigns, particularly in key battleground states.

Ms. Zacharia briefly served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security before leaving in March 2026. She has also appeared as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax. According to her LinkedIn profile, she serves as a senior communications adviser to Truth Social and Trump Media & Technology Group.

She previously worked as a legal adviser for Fix California, a conservative organisation that says it seeks to challenge what it describes as “the left’s stranglehold” on California politics. The group was founded by Richard Grenell, who has served as Mr. Trump’s envoy to Venezuela and is the interim president and executive director of the Kennedy Centre in Washington.

Questions over legal credentials

Ms. Zacharia faced questions on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) about her legal career before becoming the top spokesperson for President Trump.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she earned a law degree from Pepperdine University. She has said she practised law before entering politics, and Mr. Trump has referred to her as an attorney.

Ms. Zacharia has described herself as a “lawyer” during television appearances and on social media. She also listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative non-profit organisation.

However, there is no evidence that the 41-year-old has passed a bar examination, a requirement for obtaining a licence to practise law in the United States after graduating from law school.

Stint at law firm in Beijing

Ms. Zacharia worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013 and served as general counsel at Fix California, an advocacy group founded by Mr. Trump’s ally Ric Grenell, from 2024 to 2025, according to her LinkedIn profile.

During her first press briefing on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), she took questions from only three reporters before ending the briefing in less than 15 minutes. Her performance drew criticism from some media commentators and political analysts, although Mr. Trump later said: “I thought she was very good.”

According to the Pepperdine University, Ms. Zacharia earned her law degree in 2011. While most licensed U.S. lawyers first obtain a law degree, graduates cannot legally practise law without being admitted to a State bar.

Bar exam claim under scrutiny

Asked during Tuesday’s (October 13, 2026) briefing where she had passed the bar examination, Ms. Zacharia replied, “When I moved to China.” Ms. Zacharia worked at a major Chinese law firm in Beijing. Under Chinese law, practising lawyers must be Chinese nationals. Foreign nationals may offer legal consultancy services but cannot practise law in China.

She said she did not sit the examination again after returning to the United States because she was raising her first child.

She said that “many people in the field” had assured her that she could “label myself a lawyer, not attorney at law...and provide legal analysis, not legal advice”, given her law degree and experience in business law gained in China. “I was very careful how I executed this,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Campaign for Accountability, a political ethics organisation, called on the California Bar Association on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) to investigate the matter. “In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a licence isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” the organisation said in a statement.

Exit from White House

Following the controversy, Mr. Trump said he had advised Ms. Zacharia to reconsider the role. She is now leaving the post just days after taking office on Monday (October 12, 2026).

Confirming her departure in a post on X, Ms. Zacharia said it had been “an honour” to serve as White House Press Secretary. She praised Mr. Trump, describing him as “kind” and saying she “wished more Americans appreciated him”.

“I told her: ‘I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this job. There’s nothing easy about it,’” Mr. Trump told reporters before departing the White House.

He added, “I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I’d reconsider. Think about it. But I would reconsider.’”

Fox News, citing a White House official, later reported that Ms. Zacharia was “transitioning” out of the role of Press Secretary.