{
  "id": 14919945,
  "title": "New Trump press secretary says she did not pass bar exam",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/new-trump-press-secretary-says-she-did-not-pass-bar-exam",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T09:21:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTE News",
    "slug": "rte-news",
    "url": "https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2026/1016/1595623-katie-zacharia-donald-trump/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "White House press secretary Katie Zacharia stated she did not pass the bar exam following recent questions about her legal background. The 41-year-old, who joined the administration on Monday, had previously claimed she was an attorney. When asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity if she had taken the bar exam again, Ms Zacharia confirmed, \"I did not.\" The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability had filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, alleging Ms Zacharia misled the public by repeatedly presenting herself as a lawyer without a license. Zacharia earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, but has not disclosed whether she was admitted to any state bar. She stated, \"I practiced international transaction law with all the appropriate credentials,\" though she did not clarify her legal license status. When questioned about the location of her bar exam, Zacharia replied, \"When I moved to China.\" Her initial press briefing, limited to three reporters, drew criticism from some media figures, yet President Trump deemed her performance \"very good.\"",
  "summary": "New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has said she did not pass the bar exam after facing scrutiny about her legal career before becoming the top spokeswoman for US President Donald Trump.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Trump's new press secretary says China lacked 'proper' toilets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-says-china-lacked-proper-toilets",
        "published": "2026-10-16T06:30:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary says China lacked ‘proper’ toilets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-says-china-lacked-proper-toilets-14907484",
        "published": "2026-10-16T07:35:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV",
        "title": "\"Don't Have Proper Toilets\": Trump's New Press Secretary On Her Time In China",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/dont-have-proper-toilets-trumps-new-press-secretary-on-her-time-in",
        "published": "2026-10-16T08:15:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia defends ‘lawyer’ title despite failing bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-lawyer-title",
        "published": "2026-10-16T08:49:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "China tells Trump’s press secretary to visit more often after ‘proper toilets’ jibe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/china-tells-trumps-press-secretary-to-visit-more-often-after-proper",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:00:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Trump's new press secretary admits failing bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-admits-failing-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T10:12:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary admits she failed bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-admits-she-failed-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T10:42:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}