Trump's new press secretary was asked where she passed the bar. Her answer raised more questions.

Trump’s new press secretary was asked where she passed the bar. Her answer raised more questions.

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Natalie Musumeci

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Newly minted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as an attorney.

The conservative commentator is now facing scrutiny about her legal qualifications after she was pressed to explain them following her first White House briefing with the media.

As President Donald Trump spoke to reporters after the briefing on Tuesday, one asked him where Zacharia had passed the bar exam.

"What state did she pass the bar exam in? You said she is an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?" the reporter asked.

Trump then turned to Zacharia, standing behind him, and asked, "Which state?"

"When I moved to China," Zacharia answered.

Her response added to the confusion over where she may be licensed to practice law in the United States. State bar exams are generally administered in person within the jurisdiction.

In a statement, Zacharia said she "practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials." She did not say if she'd passed the bar in any state.

"Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team," Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said. "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."

Zacharia does not appear to be listed in the State Bar of California's attorney database, despite living and working in the state. She also does not appear to be listed in the D.C. Bar's member directory.

The Substack publication, Popular Information, reported earlier on Tuesday that it searched records in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and turned up no evidence that Zacharia is licensed to practice law.

President Trump on White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia: "I thought she was very good." Q: "You said she's an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?" Zacharia: "When I moved to China." Q: "Where did you pass the bar exam?" https://t.co/5xiwyEsVSs

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2026

Zacharia graduated from California's Pepperdine University in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in political science and government. She then received a law degree from the university's Caruso School of Law in 2011, according to the college.

The White House said that after she graduated, Zacharia moved to China with her husband for his job at an American private equity firm. She worked on international transaction law, according to the White House.

Her LinkedIn page says she served as general counsel for the California-based nonprofit Fix California from January 2024 to March 2025. More than a decade earlier, according to her LinkedIn, Zacharia worked as an associate at the Beijing-headquartered Zhong Lun Law Firm.

Trump announced Zacharia's appointment to the White House in a Truth Social post last week, saying she has an "unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning." He also referred to her as an attorney in the post.

In her own post that followed, Zacharia called serving Trump and the American people the "honor of a lifetime."

"I want to thank President Trump for his trust that 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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Natalie Musumeci

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Natalie is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Business News team covering the AI and data center boom.She was previously on BI's Legal Affairs team, where she handled major cases coming out of state and federal court, as well as bankruptcy. Her coverage often focused on stories at the intersection of law, business, politics, and technology. Natalie has covered Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the wave of lawsuits against the second Trump administration, the indictment and criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the legal battles facing Elon Musk and his companies. Natalie came to Business Insider in June 2021 as a breaking news reporter, focusing on the most interesting angles on the day's trending news. Natalie largely drove BI’s coverage around the fatal “Rust” shooting involving Alec Baldwin and the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito.Prior to joining BI, Natalie worked for the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and The Brooklyn Paper. She has an extensive background covering crime and courts. During her more than 12-year journalism career, she did a stint covering the police beat out of the New York Police Department's headquarters. Natalie, a Brooklyn native, graduated from Brooklyn College in 2012 with a degree in journalism. 

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