{
  "id": 14902372,
  "title": "Newly appointed Trump spokesman sparks controversy with China toilet remark",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/newly-appointed-trump-spokesman-sparks-controversy-with-china-toilet",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T07:46:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/10/16/newly-appointed-trump-spokeswoman-sparks-controversy-with-china-toilet-remark/239341"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Washington, October 16 — White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, appointed less than a week ago, made a controversial remark regarding China's lack of proper toilets during an interview that aired yesterday. At 41 years old, Zacharia has already faced scrutiny over her legal credentials due to her ambiguous answer about where she took the bar exam, a mandatory requirement for practicing law in the United States. Previously residing in China, the press secretary recounted her belief during 2016 that China would overtake the United States, commenting, \"We were all being told Hillary (Clinton) was going to win. The golden days or the glory days of America were over. That China was on the horizon.\" Zacharia recalled, \"I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, 'How is China the next country on the horizon? They don't even have proper toilets.'\" No immediate response was given by Chinese authorities. Trump has expressed admiration for his \"great relationship\" with Chinese President Xi Jinping. At a September summit in Washington, both leaders discussed various topics, including AI, trade, and the ongoing war in Iran, and confirmed plans for three and four meetings this year. Zacharia made her debut as White House press secretary on Tuesday, holding her first press briefing and answering questions from only three journalists. She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, a staunch Trump supporter who resigned in August to care for her young children. Zacharia has identified herself as a lawyer, representing a conservative nonprofit based in California, and also claimed to have worked at a law firm in Beijing. When questioned about her legal background on Thursday, Zacharia specified that she had registered for the bar exam but was distracted by the move to China with her husband. She claimed she did not retake the bar exam upon returning to the United States due to the birth of her first child.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON, Oct 16 — White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, who was appointed less than a week ago, said Chin...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Trump says he is discussing denuclearisation with Russia and China",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trump-says-he-is-discussing-denuclearisation-with-russia-and-china",
        "published": "2026-10-16T04:29:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}