Zacharia’s failure to pass the exam proved fatal. Trump has asked her to step down as spokesperson. The New York Times: ‘She has been sacked’

First the gaffe, then the lie – a fatal combination for Katie Zacharia, the new White House spokesperson. President Donald Trump said that Zacharia might step down from her role as White House press secretary, emphasising that she is being treated unfairly by the media. ‘I told her: “If I were you, I’d think twice about it,”’ Trump said whilst speaking to journalists. ‘Is that what you want, Katie? Honestly, you don’t need to do that,’ Trump added, referring to the conversation he had with Zacharia. “I’ll let her make that decision,” the tycoon added. “She’s been treated very harshly. She’s a good person,” Trump said, “I just want her to be happy.” Shortly afterwards, the New York Times reported, citing sources, that White House spokesperson Katie Zacharia had been sacked after just five days. And, speaking to Fox News, the US president then stated: “I’m in no hurry to appoint a new White House spokesperson.”

It had been an uphill struggle right from the start for Katie Zacharia: following her gaffes at the press conference, her credentials as a lawyer came under scrutiny. Donald Trump announced her appointment in a post on Truth Social, describing her as ‘a staunch supporter and integral part of the MAGA movement’ and ‘a distinguished graduate of the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law and a lawyer’. She has repeatedly presented herself as a lawyer during her television appearances and in various social media posts. However, according to a report by WSJ, Zacharia is said not to have passed the qualifying examination, the Bar in California. In fact, she does not appear to be registered with the professional register in any of the states where she has lived. This has been confirmed by Zacharia herself, who has sought to play down the issue in an attempt to put the growing questions about her legal credentials behind her. During an interview with Fox News, she stated that it is ‘true’ that she did not pass the exam and did not sit it a second time.

“I graduated from Pepperdine, got married that very same week, and we’d decided to move to China,” said Zacharia, referring to her husband, who worked for a private equity firm. “I’d pre-registered for the exam in California, but I already knew I’d be moving to China and the result wouldn’t count,” she added. “I decided to go ahead with it because I didn’t want it to look like I’d withdrawn.” In China, she worked from 2011 to 2013 in the international department of the law firm Zhong Lun, where she dealt with “international transactions”. In China, only Chinese nationals can obtain a licence to practise law. Foreign employees may work at law firms in other roles.

As reported by the BBC, on Wednesday 14 October, a watchdog group, Campaign for Accountability, filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, with the aim of launching an investigation to ascertain whether Zacharia ‘has repeatedly presented herself to the public as authorised to practise law without the necessary licence, conduct which is considered an offence under Californian law’. A law degree does not constitute a licence to practise as a solicitor in the United States.

The new press secretary at the White House has stated that, when she first began appearing on cable television channels, she asked Pepperdine how she should introduce herself. She said that the university’s vice-chancellor had advised her to describe herself as a “lawyer” rather than an “attorney”. The former may be used by those who have graduated with a law degree, whilst the latter is reserved solely for those who have passed the bar exam. However, as CNN reports, Zacharia has repeatedly introduced herself as an ‘avvocata’, a title she herself has consistently reaffirmed to her followers.