Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer.
The conservative commentator now faces scrutiny over her legal qualifications after being pressed to explain them following her first White House media briefing.
As President Donald Trump spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s briefing, one asked him where Zacharia passed the bar exam.
“What state did she pass the bar exam in? You said she’s a lawyer. Where did she pass the bar exam? In what state?'” the reporter asked.
Trump then turned to Zacharia, standing behind him, and asked, “Which state?”
“When I moved to China,” Zacharia replied.
Her response added to confusion about where she might be allowed to practice law in the United States. State bar exams are generally administered in person in the jurisdiction.
In a statement, Zacharia said she “practices international transactions law, with all appropriate qualifications.” She did not say whether she passed the bar in any state.
“Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team,” said Steven Cheung, White House communications director. “She is uniquely qualified and smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his administration have done, and she will do an incredible job as press secretary.”
Zacharia does not appear to be listed in the State Bar of California’s attorney database, although he lives and works in the state. She also doesn’t seem to be listed in the DC Bar membership directory.
The Substack publication Popular Information reported earlier Tuesday that it had searched records in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and found no evidence that Zacharia was licensed to practice law.
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University in California in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in political and government science. She then earned a law degree from the university’s Caruso School of Law in 2011, according to the college.
The White House said that after graduating, Zacharia moved to China with her husband to work at a U.S. private equity firm. She worked on international transactions law, according to the White House.
Her LinkedIn page indicates that she served as general counsel for Fix California, a California-based nonprofit, from January 2024 to March 2025. More than a decade earlier, according to her LinkedIn, Zacharia worked as an associate at the Zhong Lun law firm, headquartered in Beijing.
Trump announced Zacharia’s nomination to the White House in a Truth Social article last week, saying she had “an unblemished record of support and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, from the beginning.” He also called her a lawyer in this position.
In his own message that followed, Zacharia called serving Trump and the American people “the honor of his life.”
“I want to thank President Trump for the trust he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” Zacharia said during Tuesday’s White House press briefing.
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