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

Newly minted White House media administrator Katie Zacharia has often described herself as an attorney.

The traditional commentator is now facing scrutiny concerning her lawful qualifications following she was pressed to explain them following her archetypal White House briefing alongside the media.

As President Donald Trump said to reporters following the briefing on Tuesday, one asked him anywhere Zacharia had passed the bar exam.

"What province did she continue the bar exam in? You stated she is an attorney. Where did she continue the bar exam? Which state?" the newsman asked.

Trump afterward turned to Zacharia, position rearward him, and asked, "Which state?"

"When I moved to China," Zacharia answered.

Her reply added to the disturbance complete anywhere she may be licensed to custom law in the United States. State bar exams are mostly administered in individual inside the jurisdiction.

In a statement, Zacharia stated she "practiced global transaction law, alongside all the suitable credentials." She did not say if she'd passed the bar in any state.

"Katie is a fabulous and fantastic supplement to the team," Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said. "She is uniquely qualified and whip astute to assistance communicate the American group concerning all the awesome things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she volition do an amazing job as Press Secretary."

Zacharia does not appear to be listed in the State Bar of California's attorney database, notwithstanding living and operating in the state. She additionally does not appear to be listed in the D.C. Bar's associate directory.

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

Zacharia graduated from California's Pepperdine University in 2007 alongside a bachelor's flat in governmental discipline and government. She afterward received a law flat from the university's Caruso School of Law in 2011, according to the college.

A White House authoritative stated following she graduated, Zacharia moved to China alongside her hubby for his job at an American personal equity firm. She worked in global transaction law in China, according to the official.

Her LinkedIn leaf says she served as broad advise 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 affiliate at the Beijing-headquartered Zhong Lun Law Firm.

Trump announced Zacharia's project to the White House in a Truth Social article final week, saying she has an "unblemished document of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, correct from the beginning." He additionally referred to her as an attorney in the post.

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

"I desire to appreciate President Trump for his rely that he has placed in me. I have wanted to activity for him for a extremely lengthy time," Zacharia stated during Tuesday's White House media briefing.