President Donald Trump‘s new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia failed the California bar exam and has never passed one in the United States, despite repeatedly describing herself as a lawyer and being introduced by the president as an attorney.
The revelation has sparked fresh questions about the legal credentials of Trump’s latest high-profile appointment, whose professional history includes working at a prestigious Chinese law firm and serving as general counsel for a political nonprofit.
Zacharia, who graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, sat for the California bar exam shortly afterward but failed, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
She was preparing for her wedding and an international move to China with her future husband at the time, according to the source.
Despite never passing an American bar examination, Zacharia went on to build a career involving international legal transactions and regularly presented herself as a lawyer during television appearances.
Her credentials have now come under intense scrutiny after searches of attorney licensing records in California, Texas and Washington, D.C., failed to identify her as a registered attorney under either her married or maiden name.
The controversy intensified when progressive journalist Judd Legum raised questions about her professional qualifications in his Popular Information newsletter.
And when Zacharia was directly questioned by a reporter on Tuesday about which state had admitted her to the bar, her response did little to clear up the mystery.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia held her first press briefing as press secretary at the White House on Tuesday
Zacharia was directly questioned by a reporter on Tuesday about which state had admitted her to the bar, her response did little to clear up the mystery. ‘When I moved to China,’ she replied
‘When I moved to China,’ she replied, without providing any further explanation.
On Wednesday evening, she spoke with The New York Times in an attempt to explain her answer.
‘I assumed the question was, “Where were you after law school?”‘ she said.
‘That’s all I could hear over the sound of Marine One, and wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president, kept me from moving closer to hear the question,’ she went on.
In a separate statement this week, Zacharia defended her professional background.
‘I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,’ she insisted.
The White House has also rallied behind its new press secretary, dismissing concerns about her suitability for the prominent communications role.
President Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia failed the California bar exam and has never passed one in the United StatesÂ
Zacharia insists she practiced international transaction law with appropriate credentials, while the White House defended her qualifications stressing she was not hired to perform legal work
‘Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team,’ White House spokesman Steven Cheung declared.
‘She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary.’
A White House official stressed that Trump had not appointed Zacharia to perform legal work.
The distinction is significant because the press secretary’s responsibilities involve communicating administration policy and answering questions from journalists rather than providing legal advice.
Nevertheless, questions remain about Zacharia’s previous use of the title ‘lawyer’ and the nature of her professional qualifications.
After graduating from Pepperdine, Zacharia relocated to Beijing in the summer of 2011 and joined Zhong Lun Law Firm, one of China’s prominent legal practices.
There, she worked on international business transactions involving American and multinational corporations operating in China.
A person familiar with her employment told the Journal that Zacharia was among four international associates responsible for preparing agreements worth millions of dollars and communicating with corporate clients.
Katie Zacharia’s legal credentials are under scrutiny after she repeatedly described herself as an attorney
The former Pepperdine law student reportedly failed the bar exam before moving to China
Crucially, the source explained that employees in the firm’s international division were classified as international legal consultants and were not required to hold Chinese attorney licenses.
American bar admission was also unnecessary for those particular duties because formal legal opinions were handled by licensed Chinese partners.
Zacharia was reportedly advised by other lawyers that her law degree and experience in international transactions qualified her to conduct legal analysis.
She also previously claimed to have worked as outside counsel to the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank while living in China.
That assertion came during a February 2025 appearance on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
But the distinction between possessing a law degree and being licensed to practice law has become central to the growing controversy.
In the United States, attorneys generally must obtain admission to the bar in the jurisdiction where they practice, typically after passing an examination and satisfying character requirements.
According to figures cited by the Journal, approximately 55 percent of candidates passed in July 2025, while just 31 percent succeeded in February 2026.
Zacharia did, however, pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, which tests candidates’ knowledge of legal ethics and professional obligations.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, left, and White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia are seen walking to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Tuesday
Presidential aide Natalie Harp, left, and newly appointed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia are seen walking to board Air Force One on Tuesday
Her former professors have offered a more sympathetic assessment of the controversy.
Robert Pushaw, who taught Zacharia at Pepperdine and subsequently attended her wedding, remembered her as ‘a good law student and a genuinely good person.’
He nevertheless acknowledged that he could not determine whether she technically qualified as an attorney.
Another former professor, Roger Alford, now at the University of Notre Dame, described Zacharia as ‘a star at Pepperdine.’
Alford, who employed her as a research assistant during law school, urged critics to ‘get to know her before they prejudge her.’
But he also acknowledged the unusual nature of someone identifying as a lawyer without having passed a bar examination.
‘Generally speaking it would be unusual to say that you’re a lawyer if you’ve not passed the bar somewhere,’ he told the Journal.
Further questions surround Zacharia’s subsequent position at Fix California, a nonprofit founded by Trump administration official Richard Grenell.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she served as the organization’s general counsel between January 2024 and March 2025.
However, a person familiar with her work said her responsibilities involved overseeing communications with outside attorneys and serving as their primary organizational contact.
Zacharia’s public descriptions of her legal career have also attracted attention.
Before joining the White House, she appeared regularly on Fox News, CNN and Newsmax, where she frequently identified herself as a lawyer.
During an August 31 appearance on Fox News discussing the prosecution of Charlie Kirk’s accused killer, she explicitly invoked her legal background.
‘As a lawyer, the procedural steps are absolutely critical to ensure that they get this right,’ Zacharia told the network.
An on-screen graphic also described her as an attorney and legal and political strategist.
The White House press office has been contacted for comment. Â
