Trump’s New Press Secretary, Who Says She’s a Lawyer, Reportedly Never Passed Bar Exam

(Screengrab via X)

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, who has said she is a lawyer, reportedly did not pass the bar exam, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday night.

When announcing last week that Zacharia would be the next press secretary, President Donald Trump referred to her as “an attorney,” as she herself has claimed.

“Zacharia sat for the California bar exam after graduating from law school at Pepperdine University in 2011, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, but she didn’t pass,” the Journal stated. “She took the exam around the time she was planning a wedding and preparing to move to China with her future husband, the person said.”

That summer, Zacharia moved to Beijing to work as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm. The source told the journal that she was told by lawyers that she could offer “legal analysis based on her law degree and international transaction experience.”

The first reporter to raise questions about Zacharia’s legal background was independent journalist Judd Legum of Popular Information. He reported that on at least 18 occasions since March 2025, Zacharia appeared on Fox News and was identified as a lawyer. However, he noted that neither her married name nor her maiden name appears in searches for attorneys.

In her first White House press briefing on Monday, a reporter asked Zacharia where she had passed the bar.

“When I moved to China,” she said, while offering no details. Later in a statement, Zacharia said, “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.

As Mediaite’s Sarah Rumpf reported on Monday, China is very restrictive about who is allowed to practice law and does not allow noncitizens to become lawyers or even sit for the bar exam. Foreigners already admitted to practice law in another country can provide advice about their own jurisdiction to clients in China but must have already practiced law for at least two years in their home country first before legally being allowed to practice as a “Foreign Representative Attorney.”

The reporting by Legum and Rumpf was cited by a watchdog group in an ethics complaint filing against Zacharia.

During Monday’s briefing, Zacharia took just three questions over the 14-minute briefing, most of which was consumed by prepared remarks. Critics – mostly from the left – panned the performance and questioned whether she is up to the task. However, even one White House official told MS NOW, “Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot. She needs to get much better, fast.”

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