White House press secretary Katie Zacharia holds first briefing amid staff changes and qualification questions

On Tuesday, October 13, 2026, the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, held her inaugural 14-minute briefing. Appointed by President Donald Trump on October 9, Zacharia officially announced that the U.S. government has requested the resignation of the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle. While Zacharia publicly praised Guilfoyle as a valuable team member, the move follows recent allegations against the ambassador and public expressions of dissatisfaction by President Trump.

Following the briefing, questions regarding Zacharia’s professional credentials emerged. When pressed by journalists about where she obtained her law license, Zacharia claimed to have moved to China, failing to clarify the jurisdiction of her legal qualification. Subsequent investigations by the Washington Post and the South China Morning Post revealed no evidence of a law license for Zacharia in any U.S. state registry, despite her public presentation as an attorney. The White House has not yet provided further clarification on her professional background.