Katie Zacharia

Katie Zacharia was named White House press secretary on October 9, 2026, during the second administration of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump. She was out just a week later after a tenure that was marked by a shaky debut fielding questions in the press briefing room and ultimately doomed by a scandal over her status as a lawyer.

A law school graduate (more on that below) and mother of four, Zacharia rose to prominence in conservative media, often appearing as a commentator on Fox News, Newsmax, and One America News Network. Before assuming the role of press secretary, she had worked in communications for the company that runs Trump’s social media platform Truth Social and very briefly in the press office for the Department of Homeland Security.

Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who was the youngest press secretary in White House history. Like Leavitt, Zacharia lacked the traditional political, policy, or journalistic background for the role, but her willingness to express unflinching support for the president’s policies won her his support. He reportedly decided on her for the role without discussing it with senior White House advisers. In announcing her appointment, Trump wrote:

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She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!

What she didn’t have was proof that she had passed the bar exam.

Early life and career

Zacharia was born in California in 1984 and was adopted. She has told the story that her unwed mother was about to get an abortion when a Christian counselor encouraged her to consider adoption. That call, Zacharia has said, resulted in the “miracle” of her birth. She learned of the circumstances of her birth when she met her biological mother at the age of 18.

Zacharia attended Pepperdine University outside Los Angeles, California, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government and a law degree from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. In 2006 she served as a White House intern during the administration of Pres. George W. Bush. She has worked for a number of conservative groups, including Fix California, which was founded by Trump ally and former president of the Kennedy Center Ric Grenell, and White Rose Resistance, an anti-abortion group. She also lived in China for two years, working at a law firm and doing communications work for a nonprofit called Compassion for Migrant Children, while her husband was part of a private equity firm in Beijing.

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Controversial positions in support of Trump

Zacharia has expressed staunch support for the president and the MAGA movement on air and on social media over the years, including repeating the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory. She has expressed skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine, including posting an article that claimed that 80 percent of women who received the vaccine suffered a miscarriage, a statement not supported by medical evidence. In April 2026, in the wake of the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during immigration protests, she said during a CNN interview, “I’m a huge fan of ICE and a big fan of the Border Patrol.”

In February 2026 Zacharia took on the role of spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, but with the firing of Secretary Kristi Noem, she left the role less than two months later. She went on to serve in a communications role for Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social.

Being named press secretary and controversy

Trump announced Zacharia’s appointment on October 9, 2026. She made her first appearance in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on October 13, where she touted the president’s accomplishments, saying, “President Trump is working to secure the Western Hemisphere for centuries to come.” She took three questions in a briefing that lasted 14 minutes and that almost immediately raised concerns about whether she could handle one of the toughest jobs in Washington, D.C. Just hours after she left the podium, she was facing questions about her status as a lawyer. Despite the president calling her an attorney a number of times and her listing the role of “general counsel” on her résumé, news organizations reported they were unable to verify that she had been admitted to the bar in California, Washington, D.C., or any other jurisdictions. Just days after the controversy emerged, Zacharia seemed to confirm that she had never passed the bar exam, noting that the results were “somewhat inconsequential” given that she was moving to China with her husband.

On October 16, just a week after her appointment, Trump signaled that they had parted ways recounting to reporters that he had said to her: “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.” Zacharia’s tenure was the shortest for a White House press secretary. The previous record was held by Jonathan Daniels, who served in the role under Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt for just 19 days before Roosevelt’s death in 1945.