Katie Zacharia, the newly appointed White House press secretary, is standing by her legal background while addressing her failure to pass the bar exam. In an interview with the conservative outlet Human Events, Zacharia explained that she was preparing to take the California bar exam at a time when she had recently married and was getting ready to relocate to China with her husband. She mentioned feeling distracted and overwhelmed due to the significant life events happening simultaneously.
Regarding the bar exam results, which she did not pass, Zacharia emphasized that it was not crucial as she would not require a law license while residing in China. Despite facing criticism for referring to herself as a “lawyer,” Zacharia clarified that she sought advice from legal experts to ensure the accuracy of using that title for legal analysis purposes.
Zacharia affirmed that she would refrain from commenting on legal matters in her role at the White House. She also discussed her initial experiences as press secretary, including her concise first press briefing, explaining that the brevity was intentional to allow President Trump to engage with the media shortly afterward.
The briefing materials were provided to Zacharia the night before, and she completed preparations on the morning of the briefing, only a couple of hours before facing the press corps. Despite the tight timeline, Zacharia expressed her commitment to delivering the briefing effectively.
Zacharia shared insights into how she landed the press secretary role, emphasizing that she did not actively lobby for the position. Instead, she closely followed the president’s social media activities to align her public appearances with his priorities, aiming to showcase her capabilities for the job without directly campaigning for it.
On October 7, while getting ready to take her child to a pumpkin patch, Zacharia received a call from President Trump about the press secretary role. She swiftly traveled from California to Washington, met with the president, and officially accepted the position on the same day.