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New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia says China lacked 'proper' toilets

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Cite

Blackburn, G. (2026, October 16). New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia says China lacked 'proper' toilets. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/16/new-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-says-china-lacked-proper-toilets

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Euronews · collected 2026-10-16 · by Gavin Blackburn

Quick Summary

Katie Zacharia, recently appointed as White House press secretary, faced criticism after a Thursday interview where she commented on the quality of toilets in China from her experience living there in 2016. The article also highlights concerns about Zacharia's legal qualifications, noting her ambiguous answers regarding passing the bar exam and practicing law in the United States.
Written by AI on 2026-10-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Katie Zacharia, the newly appointed White House Press Secretary under President Donald Trump, sparked controversy on October 15 during an interview with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec by denigrating China, stating that they "don’t even have proper toilets." Zacharia, who previously lived and worked in China from 2011 to 2013 at the Zhong Lun law firm after graduating from Pepperdine Law School in California, made these remarks while discussing perceptions around 2016 when many thought China was poised to surpass the United States.

Her comments contrast with Trump's efforts to maintain warm ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Shortly after Zacharia’s controversial statements, on October 16, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, Mao Ning, responded by inviting Zacharia to visit China more often when she has the opportunity. Despite this invitation, Zacharia was ousted from her role as White House Press Secretary less than a week later following further criticism of her performance and qualifications.

Written for “China Invites Press Secretary After Slur” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 China Invites Press Secretary After Slur
Politics · 5 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
China asks Katie Zacharia to visit more often as press secretary says China did not have proper toilets Same event
Times of India
Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 59/100
Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia says China lacked ‘proper toilets’ Same event
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
New White House press secretary faces more scrutiny – this time from Trump-friendly Fox News Different event
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different aspects of scrutiny faced by Katie Zacharia on different days and from different sources.”
'Susie Wiles gave the kill order': Brutal inside story of Katie Zacharia's firing and how Trump's Ice Maiden laid primetime 'trap' to snare disaster press secretary... as TV star frontrunner to replace her is revealed Different event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 48 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different aspects of Katie Zacharia's tenure as White House press secretary, with Article A focusing on a comment about China's toilets and Article B detailing her firing after five days.”
White House defends new press secretary amid questions about her legal credentials Different event
BBC News
Hedges 4 of 24 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Katie Zacharia's tenure as White House Press Secretary and do not describe the same specific incident.”
Analysis: Zacharia was thrown into a whirlwind - and failed at a critical time for Trump Different event
BBC News
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 5 of 28 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A reports on Zacharia's statement about China lacking 'proper toilets', while Article B provides an analysis of her overall performance and subsequent departure as press secretary.”
China extends open invitation to Katie Zacharia after her ‘proper toilets’ remark Different event
The Independent
Hedges 3 of 22 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A reports on Katie Zacharia's initial statement about China lacking 'proper toilets', while Article B covers a subsequent reaction from China inviting her to visit, which is a separate but related event.”
Enter the Zachbot: Trump’s new press secretary malfunctions on podium debut Different event
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 2 of 38 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different parts of the same person's tenure: Article A covers her debut as press secretary, while Article B describes a subsequent controversial statement she made.”
Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia fired after less than week in the role Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A reports on a comment made by Katie Zacharia about China's toilets, while Article B discusses her being fired after less than a week in the role.”
Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia out after less than week in the role Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles mention Katie Zacharia's recent appointment as White House press secretary, Article A describes her comments about China lacking 'proper toilets' and scrutiny over her legal credentials, whereas Article B reports on her being pushed out of the role after less than a week.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
60/100
Euronews's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-16 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Euronews · 1140 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 1 correction(s)
2026-10-01
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Who wrote this

Gavin Blackburn
52 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 The press secretary, who previously lived in China, recalled in an interview that the perception in 2016 was that China would soon overtake the United States. "
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Also by Gavin Blackburn
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 52 articles by Gavin Blackburn →

Topics

America China Chinese White House the United States

Subjects

China GPE · 7× Zacharia PERSON · 7× the United States GPE · 4× Chinese NORP · 2× Trump ORG · 2× White House ORG · 2× America GPE · 1× Clinton PERSON · 1× Hillary PERSON · 1× Katie Zacharia PERSON · 1×

Narrative

During a Washington summit in September, the two leaders discussed topics ranging from AI and trade to the stalled war in Iran, and confirmed that they would meet for a third and fourth time this year.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-16
🔮 The press secretary, who previously lived in China, recalled in an interview that the perception in 2016 was that China would soon overtake the United States. "
2026-10-16 · Euronews
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia says China lacked 'proper' toilets · assertive framing

Claims (16 extracted, 0 hedged)

Zacharia is already under scrutiny over her legal credentials, after giving an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States. asserted
she → give → States
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, who was appointed less than a week ago, said China lacked "proper toilets" in an interview that aired on Thursday. asserted
that → appoint → Thursday
Zacharia, 41, is already under scrutiny over her legal credentials, after giving an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States. asserted
she → give → States
The press secretary, who previously lived in China, recalled in an interview that the perception in 2016 was that China would soon overtake the United States. " asserted
China → live → States
We were all being told Hillary (Clinton) was going to win. asserted
Hillary → tell → ?
That China was on the horizon," Zacharia told right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec. asserted
Zacharia → tell → Posobiec
"I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, 'How is China the next country on the horizon? asserted
China → remember → horizon
They don't even have proper toilets," she added. asserted
she → have → toilets
Trump has boasted about his "great relationship" with Chinese President Xi Jinping. asserted
Trump → boast → Jinping
During a Washington summit in September, the two leaders discussed topics ranging from AI and trade to the stalled war in Iran, and confirmed that they would meet for a third and fourth time this year. asserted
they → discuss → time
Zacharia held her first White House press briefing on Tuesday and only answered questions from three journalists. asserted
Zacharia → hold → journalists
She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, a loyal Trump supporter and often combative spokesperson, who stepped down in August to care for her young children. asserted
who → succeed → children
Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative non-profit. asserted
Zacharia → describe → profit
She also said she had worked at a law firm in Beijing. asserted
she → say → Beijing
Asked about her legal background on Thursday, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was then "distracted and overwhelmed" by plans to move with her husband to China. asserted
she → ask → China
Zacharia said that she did not retake the bar exam upon returning to the United States due to the birth of her first child. asserted
she → say → child
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