'When I Moved to China': Trump Press Secretary Katie Zacharia's Bar Exam Answer Sparks Credential Firestorm

Donald Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, has been thrust into a growing credentials controversy after a question about where she passed the bar exam produced an answer that raised even more questions.

'When I moved to China,' Zacharia replied when a reporter asked which state had admitted her to practise law, during an exchange with Trump on Tuesday, 13 October. The response has put her legal background under fresh scrutiny, with searches of US attorney records failing to establish that she holds a licence to practise in the jurisdictions examined.

The Washington Post found no active or expired US bar admissions under Zacharia's name or her maiden name, Black. The South China Morning Post also found no listing in records it reviewed in California, New York, Texas, Florida and Washington, DC. Independent journalist Judd Legum reported finding no evidence of her admission in any US state or the District of Columbia.

A Law Degree, but Where Is the Licence?

Zacharia's academic credentials are established. Pepperdine University confirmed that she earned her bachelor's degree in 2007 and graduated from its law school in 2011.

But graduating from law school and being admitted to practise are different things. In the United States, a law degree alone does not confer a professional licence. Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University School of Law, made that distinction clear to the Washington Post: a Juris Doctor degree does not, by itself, make someone a practising lawyer.

The California State Bar also told the Washington Post it had no record of Zacharia being licensed under the names Kate Sharon Zacharia or Kate Sharon Black, or under her nickname, Katie.

Those findings raise legitimate questions, but they do not establish that she has never passed an examination or obtained a qualification elsewhere. Her exact professional status remains unconfirmed.

Her Beijing Career Adds Another Twist

Zacharia's LinkedIn profile lists her as an associate on the international practice team at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013. The White House said she moved to China with her husband after graduation because of his work at an American private equity firm, while she worked on international transaction law.

China's legal system complicates the picture. Experts cited by the Washington Post said foreign nationals cannot sit China's national bar examination because candidates must be Chinese citizens. Foreign professionals can, however, undertake certain legal work at Chinese firms, and regulations governing foreign legal consultants changed in 2017, after Zacharia's time in Beijing.

Her employment at Zhong Lun therefore does not, on its own, establish whether she held a professional licence or what specific legal work she was authorised to perform.

'All the Appropriate Credentials'

In a statement responding to questions about her background, Zacharia said she 'practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials'. The White House also pointed to her work on international transactions in China, but neither response publicly identified a licensing authority or specified where she had passed a bar examination.

Zacharia's résumé also lists a general counsel role at Fix California, a nonprofit founded by Trump adviser Richard Grenell, from 2024 to 2025. That title adds context to her professional history, but does not independently establish whether she held a law licence.

The Question Still Hanging Over Her Appointment

The public record confirms Zacharia's law degree and her employment at a Beijing law firm. Searches by news organisations and the California State Bar have not established a US bar admission, while her public response has not clarified which licensing authority, if any, admitted her to practise.

It remains unconfirmed whether she passed a bar examination or holds a professional licence in any jurisdiction. Further verification, ideally through the relevant licensing authority or documentation from Zacharia or the White House, is needed before drawing a definitive conclusion.

For a press secretary whose job is to answer questions under pressure, one straightforward question remains unanswered: what legal credentials does Katie Zacharia hold, and where is she authorised to practise?