The new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia , faced questions on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) about her legal career before becoming the top spokeswoman for U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ms. Mr. Trump has described her as an attorney. The questions about Ms. Zacharia’s credentials come as she takes the podium just three weeks before November’s midterm elections, a critical period when the President is seeking to tout his administration’s accomplishments and help her fellow Republicans retain control of Congress. In a text message, Mr. Mr. Trump hired Ms. She replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the White House in August. The timing of Ms.
Zacharia, who joined the White House on Monday (October 12), has said she practised law before entering politics. Zacharia said in an emailed statement on Wednesday (October 14).
Grenell said Ms. Zacharia was “a senior adviser, who did a lot of different roles,” including “leading the outside counsel, who were our lawyers. “I practised international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” Ms. Zacharia after expressing concerns about the media coverage of his administration, feeling he needed a new spokesperson who could amplify his achievements, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Zacharia’s hiring so close to the midterms caught some White House staff by surprise, one official said.
“Of course it goes without saying that one needn’t be a lawyer to serve as the White House press secretary,” Ms. Jefferson said. “The public is entitled to accurate information about whether a government official is claiming to hold a professional role that they do not, which is what has been alleged here.”
