Trump’s new press secretary: not quite attorney-at-law

October 15, 2026 — 6:30pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

No gift articles left

You've used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.

Washington: Is US President Donald Trump’s new press secretary a lawyer – or did she just play one on TV?

Three days into her job, Katie Zacharia is facing questions about whether she has embroidered her credentials. She describes herself as a lawyer, and the president called her “an attorney”. When she was asked on Tuesday (Washington time) in which state she passed the bar exam, she twice replied: “When I moved to China.”

The moment capped off a shaky debut for the woman who has accepted what is perhaps the most challenging public relations post in the United States. Now she was struggling to tell her own story.

On Wednesday evening, she told The New York Times that this whole mishegas over “lawyer”, “attorney” and “China” has been one big misunderstanding.

‘My president ... excuse me, my husband’: Trump’s new spinner gets off to a rocky start

“I assumed the question was, ‘Where were you after law school?’” she said, taking a quick phone call on the tarmac in Arizona, where the president was holding a midterm rally.

“That’s all I could hear over the sound of Marine One,” she said. “And, wanting to respect protocol, the distance........

© Brisbane Times