White House says Katie Zacharia has been let go as press secretary

Summary

A White House official said Katie Zacharia was let go as press secretary after President Donald Trump said he had told her to reconsider the job, RTÉ reports. Zacharia acknowledged she had not passed California’s bar exam after sitting it in 2011, according to the South China Morning Post; The Straits Times reports she defended calling herself a lawyer, saying she practiced international transaction law in China with appropriate credentials, while NDTV says she said she never intended to practice law. Euronews reports that she said China lacked proper toilets and notes scrutiny over her legal credentials. This follows earlier reports that the White House was defending Zacharia amid questions about her credentials.

Timeline

1. South China Morning Post

   15 Oct 2026, 21:52 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that Zacharia acknowledged she never passed a bar exam, saying she sat but failed California’s in 2011 after graduating law school.

2. The Straits Times

   16 Oct 2026, 01:36 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that Zacharia defended calling herself a lawyer, saying she practiced international transaction law in China with appropriate credentials.

3. Channel NewsAsia

   16 Oct 2026, 02:23 UTCSource ↗

   Channel NewsAsia reports that Zacharia said she did not pass the bar exam.

4. Euronews

   16 Oct 2026, 06:13 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that Zacharia said China lacked proper toilets and notes scrutiny of her legal credentials after an inconclusive answer about where she passed the bar.

5. RTÉ

   16 Oct 2026, 09:21 UTCSource ↗

   RTÉ reports that a White House official said Zacharia was let go, after Trump said he had told her to reconsider the job.

6. NDTV

   16 Oct 2026, 11:56 UTCSource ↗

   NDTV reports that Zacharia described herself as a lawyer and said she never intended to practice law.