Donald Trump Announces 2016 White House Bid

[Ron in Regina]

An amended lawsuit now challenges a May memo from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that gives sweeping immunity to President Trump, his adult children and their businesses from any government review into their past conduct.

The May 19 memo was issued the day after Blanche created the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and framed as closing out Trump’s litigation against the IRS after he sued it for $10 billion over the leaking of his tax returns.

The Senate, which Republicans narrowly control, confirmed him by 50 votes to 49. Republican senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined the Democrats in voting no, underlining the political sensitivity over the nomination.

“The attorney general is supposed to be the people’s lawyer,” Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday. “Mr Blanche continues to operate as the president’s personal lawyer, treating the Justice Department like a law firm serving one client — the president.”

The president, who sued his own administration in January over the leak of his tax returns, struck an agreement with the IRS in late May to dismiss the case, with the DOJ then creating an “anti-weaponization” fund to provide payments to those who claim to have been wronged by the government.

“The appellants did not submit or offer any evidence to explain their litigation conduct or demonstrate that the lawsuit and the settlement were not collusive. Given the record before us, the appellants have not made a strong showing that the district court committed clear error in its collusion and bad faith findings,” a three-judge panel for the 11th Circuit wrote in its opinion Tuesday.

Williams’s ruling was particularly critical of Trump, noting that the president filed the suit years after the leak, when he had returned to office and had the power to fire everyone.

In sum, the facts before this Court demonstrate there was never adverseness between the Parties; there was never a case or controversy; and there was never a question as to who would prevail,” Williams wrote in the 56-page filing.

“The Court determines that Plaintiffs improperly employed this lawsuit to justify a particular award in this matter — access to taxpayer funds and exemption from audits and other investigations — which was accomplished by leveraging control over Defendants,” she wrote later, adding at the time that the suit was “brought to manipulate the judicial process.”

Williams found that Trump’s $10 billion case against the IRS was “brought for an improper purpose — to gain the imprimatur of judicial legitimacy for a ‘settlement’ that had no viable basis in law or fact.”

Appeals court backs finding Trump colluded with IRS, Treasury — The Hill

An appeals court Tuesday sided with a lower court judge who determined President Trump colluded with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in bringing and later dismissing a case seeking $10 billion in damages from the IRS.

apple.news

 

[spaminator]

Trump releases personal cell number of senator who stopped daylight saving time bill
Cotton, who is up for re-election in early November midterms, has dug his heels in on the issue.

Author of the article:Brian Towie
Published Oct 05, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly released the cellphone of Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly released the cellphone of Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton. Photo by Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump has doxed his “friend,” Sen. Tom Cotton, over the weekend by publicly releasing the Republican’s personal cellphone number as payback for stopping a bill to make daylight saving time permanent.


Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to furiously harangue the Arkansas senator for holding out on the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent for the country, the New York Post reported.

“Everybody in Arkansas, Tom Cotton, a friend of mine, is holding up a very important Bill. It’s called, ‘The Sunshine Protection Act’ or, ‘We Don’t Want to Change Our Clocks Twice a Year Act,'” Trump wrote. “For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it’s very easy to do, it only takes one! It should pass overwhelmingly, in a Bipartisan fashion. So, everyone in Arkansas, a State I love, and won 3 times, the last by by 34 points, tell Tom to, GET IT DONE! It will be appreciated by all.”



In that same post, Trump went on to publicly release Cotton’s personal cellphone number and urged people in his state to call him and advocate for the act, which passed in the House 308-117 but has been held up in the Senate, where it needs 60 votes to break a filibuster.

Cotton, who is up for re-election in early November midterms, has dug his heels in on the issue.

“No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” Cotton posted on X. “Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first.”

Not the first time
Trump also released the personal cell number of the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, during a contentious presidential primary in 2015, per Politico.

Graham had called Trump a “jackass.” Trump responded by calling Graham a “lightweight” and an “idiot.”


“He doesn’t seem like a very bright guy,” Trump said. “He actually probably seems to me not as bright as (former Texas governor) Rick Perry. I think Rick Perry probably is smarter than Lindsey Graham.”

Trump then said Graham was “begging” him to put in a good word with his associated on the Fox News program Fox and Friends. Trump said he told Graham that he would, and Graham then gave him his personal phone number to follow up. Trump then publicly read out the number, telling supporters to “try it.”

Graham said shortly thereafter he was inundated with calls, adding, “I wonder what caused that.”

“When it comes to the Donald, nothing surprises me anymore. It’s just too bad, really,” he said.

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http://politico.com/story/2015/07/donald-trump-gives-out-lindsey-grahams-cell-phone-number-120414

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2106431601685020768

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2106395547078697122

Furious Trump doxes Sen. Tom Cotton, releases personal cell number, over bill to end daylight savings

President Trump doxed Senate “friend’’ Tom Cotton on Saturday, blasting out the GOPer’s personal cellphone number online in furious retaliation for stopping a bill to make daylight savings time per…

nypost.com

Trump releases personal cell number of senator who stopped daylight saving time bill

President Trump is furious that a Arkansas Republican won't back him over Daylight Saving Time act. Read on.

torontosun.com

 

[Ron in Regina]

Tom Cotton. The Republican Senator for Kansas.

 

[pgs]

Tom Cotton. The Republican Senator for Kansas.

That would be Arkansas .

 

[spaminator]

European Parliament displays statue of naked Donald Trump
Europe's seat of government displays Danish artist's unflattering depiction of obese, naked U.S. president

Author of the article:Brian Towie
Published Oct 07, 2026 • Last updated 21 hours ago • 2 minute read
Danish artist Jens Galschiot with his statue "The Orange Plague"
Danish artist Jens Galschiot with his statue "The Orange Plague" Photo by Jens Galschiot

A gold statue depicting U.S. President Donald Trump naked and riding another man is on display at the European Parliament.


The eight-and-a-half-foot statue, dubbed “The Orange Plague,” is covered in 23-karat gold leaf and has been installed in Strasbourg, France, the official seat of the European Parliament, CNN reports. Also called the “King of Injustice,” the statue depicts an obese Trump hunched on the shoulders of a much smaller man, clutching a golf club and the scales of justice.

The plinth under the statue reads, “I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except step down from his back.”

Political artist
The statue is the work of Danish artist Jens Galschiot, who is famous in artistic circles for his politically outspoken work.

“Trump is destroying all the things I believe in,” he told CNN.

His previous work includes the “Pillar of Shame,” a memorial to the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre that was removed from a Hong Kong university in 2021. Galschiot nodded to the Hans Christian Anderson story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” in which a ruler parades around his city in the nude after being fooled into thinking he’s been given a magic and luxurious set of new clothing. The townspeople cheer him along until a child points out he’s not wearing any clothes, but the ruler carries on regardless.


“Dictators don’t like you laughing at them,” he said.

Europe’s Left lobbies to display statue
Danish politician Per Clausen, a member of the Red-Green Alliance, has sponsored the display. He is a member of The Left, a party that holds 6% of seats in the European Parliament. He told German news website DW he’s not worried about how the president might react.

“If someone is so thin-skinned that they cannot tolerate this sculpture being exhibited in the European Parliament, then they have no place on the world stage,” Clausen said.

Approved by Parliament
A spokesperson for the European Parliament told CNN that the exhibit was approved by a multi-party group of MEPs (Members of European Parliament) who are responsible for administrative matters.

“Each MEP is entitled to sponsor two cultural events or exhibitions per parliamentary term in dedicated areas,” the spokesperson’s statement said, adding that the members “assess the compliance with the rules in place.”

Statue on tour
“The Orange Plague” has been displayed at other events, such as the 2025 COP30 UN Climate Summit in Brazil. The statue remains on display until Thursday, alongside more than 1,000 miniatures of the sculpture for people to take home as “protest tokens.” It’s also set for display at the COP31 UN Climate Conference in Turkey in November.

http://cnn.com/2024/03/20/style/pillar-of-shame-european-parliament-intl-hnk

Naked Trump statue goes on display in Strasbourg

Titled "The Orange Plague," a gold-coated statue presents Donald Trump sitting on a smaller man's back. The Danish artist blamed Trump for getting in the way of efforts to address climate change.

dw.com

http://cnn.com/2026/10/07/style/golden-naked-trump-statue-european-parliament

European Parliament displays statue of naked Donald Trump

The seat of European government has on display an unflattering statue of Trump, naked and riding a much smaller man. Read on.

torontosun.com

 

[Ron in Regina]

That would be Arkansas .

I knew it was some kind of Kansas…

 

[pgs]

European Parliament displays statue of naked Donald Trump
Europe's seat of government displays Danish artist's unflattering depiction of obese, naked U.S. president

Author of the article:Brian Towie
Published Oct 07, 2026 • Last updated 21 hours ago • 2 minute read
Danish artist Jens Galschiot with his statue "The Orange Plague"
Danish artist Jens Galschiot with his statue "The Orange Plague" Photo by Jens Galschiot

A gold statue depicting U.S. President Donald Trump naked and riding another man is on display at the European Parliament.


The eight-and-a-half-foot statue, dubbed “The Orange Plague,” is covered in 23-karat gold leaf and has been installed in Strasbourg, France, the official seat of the European Parliament, CNN reports. Also called the “King of Injustice,” the statue depicts an obese Trump hunched on the shoulders of a much smaller man, clutching a golf club and the scales of justice.

The plinth under the statue reads, “I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except step down from his back.”

Political artist
The statue is the work of Danish artist Jens Galschiot, who is famous in artistic circles for his politically outspoken work.

“Trump is destroying all the things I believe in,” he told CNN.

His previous work includes the “Pillar of Shame,” a memorial to the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre that was removed from a Hong Kong university in 2021. Galschiot nodded to the Hans Christian Anderson story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” in which a ruler parades around his city in the nude after being fooled into thinking he’s been given a magic and luxurious set of new clothing. The townspeople cheer him along until a child points out he’s not wearing any clothes, but the ruler carries on regardless.


“Dictators don’t like you laughing at them,” he said.

Europe’s Left lobbies to display statue
Danish politician Per Clausen, a member of the Red-Green Alliance, has sponsored the display. He is a member of The Left, a party that holds 6% of seats in the European Parliament. He told German news website DW he’s not worried about how the president might react.

“If someone is so thin-skinned that they cannot tolerate this sculpture being exhibited in the European Parliament, then they have no place on the world stage,” Clausen said.

Approved by Parliament
A spokesperson for the European Parliament told CNN that the exhibit was approved by a multi-party group of MEPs (Members of European Parliament) who are responsible for administrative matters.

“Each MEP is entitled to sponsor two cultural events or exhibitions per parliamentary term in dedicated areas,” the spokesperson’s statement said, adding that the members “assess the compliance with the rules in place.”

Statue on tour
“The Orange Plague” has been displayed at other events, such as the 2025 COP30 UN Climate Summit in Brazil. The statue remains on display until Thursday, alongside more than 1,000 miniatures of the sculpture for people to take home as “protest tokens.” It’s also set for display at the COP31 UN Climate Conference in Turkey in November.
View attachment 35901

http://cnn.com/2024/03/20/style/pillar-of-shame-european-parliament-intl-hnk

Naked Trump statue goes on display in Strasbourg

Titled "The Orange Plague," a gold-coated statue presents Donald Trump sitting on a smaller man's back. The Danish artist blamed Trump for getting in the way of efforts to address climate change.

dw.com

http://cnn.com/2026/10/07/style/golden-naked-trump-statue-european-parliament

European Parliament displays statue of naked Donald Trump

The seat of European government has on display an unflattering statue of Trump, naked and riding a much smaller man. Read on.

torontosun.com

Classy .

 

[spaminator]

Trump slammed over ‘sick’ video of tiger's deadly mauling of U.K. man
The clip was also shared by the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on X

Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Oct 14, 2026 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 2 minute read
AI-generated video shared by Donald Trump shows the president and a tiger.
AI-generated video shared by Donald Trump shows the president and a tiger. X

The family of a mentally ill man killed by a tiger at a wildlife park in the U.K. has urged people to stop posting “deeply offensive media content” of the attack, after U.S. President Donald Trump shared disturbing footage online.


William Chapman, 23, died from his injuries after being mauled by a tiger when he entered its enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near the northern English city of Doncaster, on Saturday.

Chapman’s family said the man had been suffering from “significant mental illness” and they are “devastated” by his death.

‘Not a fan’
Trump posted a video of the tragic interaction between Chapman and the male Amur tiger, also known as Siberian tigers, on his Truth Social account on Tuesday, with the caption: “Don’t ever mess with nature!”



The clip was also shared by the White House’s “Rapid Response 47” account on X.

The president later posted AI visuals of other people being mauled by big cats, then capped off his night on social media by posting yet another AI-generated video of himself, this time chasing and wrestling a tiger before befriending the smiling beast, all to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

X users questioned the president’s judgment, with one calling the post “sick.”

Another added: “I’m a big supporter but not a fan of this post. To each his own.”



‘Utterly devastated’
In their online tribute, Chapman’s family described him as a “bright, warm and engaging young man” who had been suffering from “significant mental illness over a number of years.”

They questioned whether the strong medication he was prescribed may have played a role in the incident.

“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” they said.

“The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this.”



What happened the day he died
Chapman was visiting the zoo alone and it remains unclear how he entered the enclosure. He was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services were called.

According to videos posted online, Chapman appeared to have filmed the inside of the enclosure and the moment he approached the tiger.

Other park visitors also filmed the incident from the raised 300-metre-long walkway above the “Land of the Tigers” exhibit.

The park, which remained closed for a fifth day on Wednesday, has said the tiger involved, called Atai, was safe and well, and would not be euthanized.

Local council has launched a health and safety investigation, while an inquest into Chapman’s death is due to open on Thursday.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2110208672198717670

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2110098796856365196

Trump slammed over ‘sick’ video of tiger's deadly mauling of U.K. man

The family of a man killed by a tiger urged people to stop posting videos, after Donald Trump shared disturbing footage online.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia's lawyer credentials called into question
'I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials'

Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Oct 15, 2026 • Last updated 20 hours ago • 3 minute read
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia holds a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia holds a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Chip Somodevilla /Getty Images

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has many questions to answer, but the most pressing ones have been about herself.


The new White House spokesperson, who took over for Karoline Leavitt, presented herself as a lawyer but after her first press conference earlier this week, Zacharia revealed she took the bar exam in China.

That prompted many to scratch their heads, wondering how she got the gig in the first place.

To become an attorney in the United States, one must pass a bar exam in the U.S. — and Zacharia, 41, is not found in California’s state bar website, indicating she did not pass the exam in her home state, Judd Legum wrote in his Popular Information Substack.

Failed the bar?
Similar to Kim Kardashian, a source familiar with the matter told CNN that Zacharia failed the California bar exam after graduating from law school.

“Katie is a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a frequent commentator on outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax,” Trump wrote in an announcement on Truth Social, where Zacharia has been employed as senior communications advisor since June, according to her LinkedIn profile.


“She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” the president added, noting that Zacharia had also worked for his election campaigns, assisting in his efforts to win key swing states.

Katie’s connection to China
Zacharia, who has also spent a couple of years working in Beijing, and Trump were leaving Tuesday’s press conference when a reporter asked about her legal training in China.

“You said she’s an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?” the reporter asked the president, who turned the question over to Zacharia.

“When I moved to China,” the White House spokeswoman replied without further explanation.

The mother of four later clarified to the New York Times that she had misheard the question.

“I assumed the question was, ‘Where were you after law school?’” she said.

“That’s all I could hear over the sound of Marine One, and wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president, kept me from moving closer to hear the question,” she explained, though it remains unclear as to where she passed the bar.


White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he departs on the South Lawn of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he departs on the South Lawn of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Photo by Win McNamee /Getty Images
According to her LinkedIn, among other jobs, Zacharia for the Zhong Lun Law Firm from August 2011 to June 2013.

“I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” Zacharia told the Times, though it’s not what credentials she was referring to.

She added that she consulted with Pepperdine’s president about how to identify herself, and that she was told not to use “attorney” or “esquire,” but that “lawyer” was OK.



However, in Legum’s newsletter, he pointed out that while in China, Zacharia served as “outside counsel” to both the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation.

While a law degree is not required to be White House press secretary, the issue, according to Legum, is that she presented herself repeatedly as a lawyer.


White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Photo by Chip Somodevilla /Getty Images
Early days
White House spokesman Steven Cheung also defended Zacharia, saying in a statement: “Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team. She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary.”

Cheung also praised Zacharia’s first few days in the role in another post on X: “Up and down the White House, everyone has been thoroughly impressed with Katie in just a few short days on the job.”

He added: “At the end of this second term, she’ll be remembered as one of the all-time greats.”

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2110440288443331050

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Katie Zacharia Is Trump’s New Press Secretary. But Is She a Lawyer?

Katie Zacharia told The New York Times that the confusion over her legal credentials was the result of one big misunderstanding.

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Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, claims she’s a lawyer. Is she?

There is no evidence Zacharia has ever been licensed to practice law — and the White House did not provide any

popular.info

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia's lawyer credentials called into question

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has many questions to answer, but the most pressing ones have been about herself.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Trump's new press secretary Katie Zacharia admits failing bar exam
She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, a loyal Trump supporter and often combative press secretary, who stepped down in August to care for her young children.

Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Oct 16, 2026 • 2 minute read

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia listens as U.S. President Donald answers questions from the press as he departs on the South Lawn of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is traveling to Alaska to headline a rally for incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), who will be facing off against Alaska Democratic Senate candidate, former Rep. Mary Peltola in the midterm elections. Photo by Win McNamee /Getty Images


Washington, United States, Oct 16, 2026 (AFP) — New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia acknowledged on Thursday that she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States, as her credentials face scrutiny.


Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.

But the legal credentials of the press secretary, who President Donald Trump appointed last week, were called into question after she gave an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam.

The 41-year-old graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, but obtaining a law degree does not automatically qualify someone to practice law.

In a Fox News interview on Thursday, host Sean Hannity asked Zacharia: “You took the bar exam, but you didn’t pass the bar exam, correct?”

“Yes,” she responded.



In a separate interview with conservative media outlet Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was “distracted and overwhelmed” by plans to move to China with her husband.

“The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn’t need the bar in China,” she said.

Foreign nationals cannot sit China’s bar exam, although they can undertake certain legal work at Chinese law firms.

Hannity later asked Zacharia if she had ever taken the bar exam a second time, to which she said: “I did not.”

“I had four kids in six years,” she said. “It was never my intent to go into the practice of law.”

Zacharia said on Real America’s Voice that “many people in the field” had assured her that she could “label myself a lawyer,” given her law degree and experience in business law gained in China, where she worked at a Beijing law firm.

She added that she could “provide legal analysis, not legal advice.”

“I was very careful how I executed this.”

The Campaign for Accountability, a political ethics organization, called on Wednesday for the California Bar Association to launch an investigation.

“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” the organization said in a press release.

Zacharia held her first White House press briefing on Tuesday with an unusually short press conference, answering questions from only three journalists.

She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, a loyal Trump supporter and often combative press secretary, who stepped down in August to care for her young children.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2110912908192326021

Trump's new press secretary Katie Zacharia admits failing bar exam

She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, a loyal Trump supporter and often combative press secretary, who stepped down in August to care for her young children.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Katie Zacharia fired after just five days as White House press secretary
President Donald Trump suggested she 'reconsider' her White House role before her sudden departure on Friday

Author of the article:Anne Bacani
Published Oct 16, 2026 • Last updated 17 hours ago • 2 minute read
Katie Zacharia
Katie Zacharia's brief tenure as White House press secretary ended following a rocky debut on Oct. 13, tough Fox interviews and questions about her legal credentials. Photo by Jim Watson /AFP via Getty Images

Katie Zacharia’s brief run as White House press secretary is over.


She was fired Friday, just five days after taking the job, following a rocky debut, tough interviews on Fox News and growing questions about her qualifications.

A White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed her departure, per The Guardian. The New York Times reported she had been fired, while Fox News said she was “transitioning out” of the role.

President Donald Trump had already suggested the job might not be right for Zacharia, per USA Today, telling reporters Friday he had encouraged her to reconsider.

“I said to Katie, ‘You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,’” Trump said, adding the media had treated her “very rough” and “nastily.”

“I said, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,’” he added.

Trump said her interviews were ‘tough’ to watch
Her departure followed two uncomfortable Fox News interviews that raised questions about whether she could effectively represent the President. Both interviews were with prominent Fox personalities who have longstanding, friendly relationships with Trump, yet their skepticism about Zacharia was hard to miss, CNN reported.


Trump confirmed he had watched the interviews, describing them as “tough.”

The most awkward exchange came Thursday night with Sean Hannity, a Trump ally and informal adviser. Hannity called Zacharia’s first press briefing, held Tuesday, “widely panned.”

Zacharia defended herself by saying she had “very little prep time.” Trump had offered her the position during their first in-person meeting about the job.

But the interviews appeared to make matters worse rather than repair the damage from her debut.


Questions about Zacharia’s legal credentials also dogged her brief tenure
When Trump announced her appointment on Truth Social, he described her as “an attorney” and praised her as a “loyal and brilliant supporter.” He highlighted her education at Pepperdine University and its Caruso School of Law, along with her work on his election campaigns and efforts to win key swing states.

Zacharia, 41, had been working as a senior communications adviser at Truth Social since June, according to her LinkedIn profile. She had also built a career as a conservative political commentator and held communications positions.


However, she acknowledged during her interview with Hannity that she failed the California bar exam in 2011 and never tried again.

Her comments about taking the bar exam in China after her first press briefing only added to the confusion.

As she and Trump were leaving Tuesday’s briefing, a reporter asked where she had passed the bar exam and in which state.

“When I moved to China,” Zacharia replied, without explaining further.

Zacharia had spent a couple of years working in Beijing, but that did not resolve questions about her qualifications to practice law in the United States. Lawyers must meet the licensing requirements of the jurisdiction where they intend to practise.

Judd Legum, writing in his Popular Information Substack, noted that Zacharia did not appear in California’s state bar directory.

Zacharia took over from Karoline Leavitt after being offered the position on Oct. 9, according to The Guardian.

— With files from Denette Wilford

Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, claims she’s a lawyer. Is she?

There is no evidence Zacharia has ever been licensed to practice law — and the White House did not provide any

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Trump's new press secretary out of the job just days after rocky debut

Katie Zacharia has been fired as White House Press Secretary.

foxnews.com

http://nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/katie-zacharia-fired-press-secretary.html

Katie Zacharia fired after five days as White House press secretary

Zacharia hosted widely panned first briefing on Tuesday and faced scrutiny after admitting she didn’t pass bar exam

theguardian.com

Katie Zacharia fired after just five days as White House press secretary

President Donald Trump suggested she 'reconsider' her White House role before her sudden departure on Friday. Read more details.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Donald Trump's roster of press secretary trainwrecks and faux pas
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Published Oct 16, 2026 • Last updated 17 hours ago • 2 minute read
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he departs on the South Lawn of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he departs on the South Lawn of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee /Getty Images
That was fast!


With less than a week under her belt as White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia has joined a staggering roster of the dead.


Like the piano player in the Grateful Dead, the tenure of a Donald Trump flack is a matter of blink and you’ll miss it.

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham and U.S. President Donald Trump. Getty Images
The wife of a billionaire Trump donor, Zacharia was cooked after a series of bizarre media appearances and troubling questions about her legal background and qualifications.

Trump told reporters: “I’ve watched her for years on television, but I said, ‘Is this for you, Katie? Because honestly, you don’t need this.’”

Here’s a cheat sheet on the commander-in-chief’s other press secretaries.

Sean Spicer, right, on Dancing With the Stars. GETTY IMAGES
Sean Spicer, right, on Dancing With the Stars. GETTY IMAGES
SEAN SPICER

JAN. 2017 – JULY 2017

411: Spicer packed it in after six months, stepping down voluntarily. He objected to Trump’s appointment of controversial Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House Communications Director.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski /Getty Images
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS

JULY 2017- JULY 2019

411: Left the White House on good terms and Trump was full of praise for her, suggesting she run for governor of Arkansas. She did. And she won.


STEPHANIE GRISHAM. SCREENGRAB
STEPHANIE GRISHAM. SCREENGRAB
STEPHANIE GRISHAM

JULY 2019 – APRIL 2020

411: Grisham was famous for never holding formal, televised press briefings. She then became Melania Trump’s chief of staff, resigning on Jan. 6, 2021 over the administration’s tepid response to the Capitol rioting.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks to members of the media at the White House in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks to members of the media at the White House in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. Photo by Erin Scott /Reuters
KAYLEIGH McENANY

APRIL 2020 – JANUARY 2021

411: A Trump true believer, sticking by DJT until the embers went out. Prematurely declared victory for Trump on Election Night 2020, repeatedly made allegations of voter fraud (without evidence) and was even torpedoed by Fox News for making the claims.

Karoline Leavitt
:White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on March 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. Leavitt discussed a wide range of topics, including the conflict in Iran and funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Photo by Alex Wong /Getty Images
KAROLINE LEAVITT

JANUARY 2025 – AUGUST 2026

411: Another blond! At 27, she was the youngest person to ever hold the job of White House Press Secretary. She left to spend more time with her young family and has since joined Fox News as an on-air commentator.

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Chip Somodevilla /Getty Images
OCT. 9, 2016 – OCT. 16, 2016

411: In under a week Zacharia was being ripped to shreds on late night TV for her nervous, ham-handed initial 14-minute press conference. In that adventure, she called her husband “my president.”

KATIE 2.0

She read from a prepared script.

“Her reading is good for an 11-year-old. He hired a fourth grader to be press secretary.” — JIMMY KIMMEL

TV host Jimmy Kimmel
TV host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on March 10, 2024. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon /Getty Images
QUALIFICATIONS?

Katie met a number of qualifications for the job: she has blond hair, she can do a thumbs up, and end of list really.” — KIMMEL AGAIN

CHINA BAR EXAM

She claimed she was a lawyer yet never passed a U.S. state bar exam. When pressed by journalists on where exactly she passed the bar, she answered, “When I moved to China.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

Donald Trump's roster of press secretary trainwrecks and faux pas

With less than a week under her belt as White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has joined a staggering roster of the dead. Read more.

torontosun.com

 

[55Mercury]

lol

Talk about a revolving door, eh?