Katie Zacharia, President Trump’s new White House press secretary, was out of the role just five days after starting her term. The former press secretary received significant scrutiny following her first and only press briefing, which lasted just under 15 minutes. Nearly half of this time was spent reading from a script, praising the president for his recent accomplishments. For comparison, her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, held press briefings that typically lasted around 45 minutes.Â
In addition to her shaky debut, Zacharia’s professional credentials were called into question when she was described as an attorney. She had a law degree from Pepperdine University, which she received in 2011, but had not passed the California bar exam or obtained a license to practice law in another state.
Although the terms “lawyer” and “attorney” are often used interchangeably, having a law degree does not automatically qualify someone to practice law. In the United States, attorneys must meet their state’s licensing requirements, which generally include passing the bar exam. Zacharia later acknowledged that she had failed the California bar exam.
As tumultuous as Zacharia’s brief tenure was, her departure demonstrates a pattern in the Trump administration: most top-ranking officials leaving this administration, voluntarily or involuntarily, are women.
In a moment of retrospective irony during Zacharia’s first press briefing, officials announced that Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, would be leaving her position after the White House asked her to resign. This followed allegations that she had offered access to administration officials in exchange for help paying a $100,000 credit card bill, which Guilfoyle has denied.
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi was removed from her position in March after facing criticism over her handling of immigration enforcement, particularly following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Noem had described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” before the investigation into his death was complete. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was ousted in April amid President Trump’s dissatisfaction with her leadership of the Department of Justice, particularly her handling of the Epstein files. Former Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April amid an investigation into alleged workplace misconduct.
Noem, Bondi, and Chavez-DeRemer were all replaced by men.
This is by no means a defense of these women or an argument that they should have been exempt from accountability. Rather, it raises questions about Trump’s double standards when it comes to misconduct.
Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were part of the Signal group chat last year that leaked information about military strikes in Yemen to several unauthorized individuals, including a journalist from The Atlantic. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has repeatedly expressed anti-vaccine sentiments, despite the worst measles outbreak in decades under his tenure. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has been shown to have past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, including records of visits to Epstein’s private island. Yet, these men maintain their posts as some of the most critical players in America’s bureaucracy. But the women of Trump’s second term do not get this same privilege.Â
This calls into question not only the merit of these appointments but also the inconsistencies in how their transgressions were handled. This is a difficult pattern to ignore, even if it is not meant to highlight women exclusively. If the administration wants to hold its Cabinet accountable, then everyone should be held to the same standards — not just a select few.