Katie Zacharia defends legal credentials on Hannity interview

On October 16, 2026, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia sat down with Fox News host Sean Hannity in Washington, D.C., to field questions about her legal background and her new role in the Trump administration.

During the interview, Zacharia acknowledged that she had not passed the California bar exam, noting she sat for the test once after graduating from Pepperdine Law School but did not retake it. She explained that her decision was influenced by plans to move to China and a desire to avoid a withdrawal status.

"I graduated Pepperdine, got married in the same week, and we had all intent to move out to China. I had already preregistered for the bar exam and... during the summer, I knew I would be living in China and the results of the bar were inconsequential," she said.

Zacharia defended her performance at her first White House briefing, emphasizing that she had been on the job for less than eight hours before stepping behind the podium. She received briefing materials that morning and believed she did “her very best” despite the limited preparation.

"What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference," she told Hannity. "With very little prep time, I received briefing materials in the morning of Tuesday."

The press secretary also highlighted a key achievement from that briefing: she announced the administration’s decision to ask Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her ambassador role, describing the disclosure as breaking news she was honored to deliver.

Addressing criticism that she only fielded questions from conservative‑leaning outlets, Zacharia pointed out that the Daily Mail, which asked a question, is not typically classified as a conservative source. She emphasized a willingness to engage a broader press corps moving forward.

When Hannity raised a report of fifteen social‑media posts where Zacharia identified herself as an attorney, she clarified that the posts were retweets of a title she did not personally endorse.

Zacharia concluded by underscoring her commitment to building relationships with all members of the press corps and to being thoroughly prepared for future briefings as she continues to serve President Trump.