On October 15th, local time, Katie Zakaria, the new press secretary of the White House, made a statement claiming that China did not have ‘proper toilets’ in 2016. Having performed poorly since taking office, she once again faced criticism from American netizens, with her remarks being criticized as ‘ignorant and arrogant’.
According to Bloomberg, Zacaria was asked by the conservative media outlet Real American Voice how she balances her personal life with her work. This led to her lengthy speech, in which she said, "Trump's victory in 2016 has put America back on the path to greatness."
"I remember this very clearly. I had just returned from China at that time, and I thought to myself: How could China become the next major power? They don’t even have proper toilets," said Zakaria.
Many American netizens criticized Zacarias’ remarks on social platforms, saying, “A typical Trump appointee, ignorant, full of nonsense, and arrogant,” and “This arrogance will lead to the end of America.”
Some netizens said, "China is far ahead in renewable energy and has a modern power grid. This woman is simply incompetent to the point of despair."
Zakaria lived and worked in China for two to three years, claiming to be proficient in Chinese. She once said that her experiences in China were among the most exciting and unforgettable moments of her life.
In her public resume, Zakaria claims that she worked as a “lawyer” at one of China’s largest law firms from 2011 to 2013. However, her legal background is now under scrutiny.
The analysis indicates that at that time, candidates for the National Judicial Examination in China had to be Chinese citizens; foreign citizens were not eligible to take the exam. Even working at a law firm in China alone did not constitute proof of having the necessary qualifications to practice law in China.
In an interview on the local time of the 15th, Zacharia admitted that he had not passed the California bar exam.
She argued that she had consulted many people in the industry, and those people told her that she could call herself a “lawyer”. “I was very careful in my wording, and never claimed to be an attorney-at-law.”
The White House also defended her qualifications. Steven Cheung, director of communications for the White House, responded by saying: “She is exceptionally talented and extremely intelligent.”
However, in his first press conference as president, Zakaria's performance was extremely poor.
During the approximately 15-minute press conference, Zacarias spent most of the time delivering opening remarks and boasting about Trump's achievements. Throughout the entire conference, Zacarias only invited three journalists to ask questions. Near the end, she made a very embarrassing mistake; when answering a question about her private life, she mispronounced "my husband" as "my president".
Zakaria's poor performance has caused great dissatisfaction among White House officials. Several White House advisors and officials commented that the press conference was "embarrassing and awkward," and it is likely that it will not satisfy U.S. President Trump. Some officials said they do not understand why the White House was so eager to have Zakaria in charge, as her performance was disappointing.
