Singapore

Singapour, 16 October 2026. Singapour's government is taking note of the recent developments in the United States, where the White House spokesperson, Katie Zacharia, 41 years old, was removed on Friday, 16 October, less than a week after taking office. "Can confirm," a White House official told AFP, after Fox News reported that she was "transitioning out." The Straits Times and Channel News Asia, which picked up the AFP dispatch, describe "a series of blunders" that add to the "distractions" of an 80-year-old president, who is traveling the country to support Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, while polls predict a defeat. They also recall that the president is being penalized by the war against Iran, inflation, and corruption suspicions.

The account follows the chronology. Katie Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who was presented as combative, and held a first press conference on Tuesday, 13 October, lasting less than 15 minutes, with only three questions. The articles quote Donald Trump: "Honestly if I were you I'd reconsider," he had told his spokesperson. Channel News Asia notes that he had nevertheless judged her performance "very good."

The issue of her lawyer title takes center stage. On Thursday, 15 October, Katie Zacharia admitted to Sean Hannity on Fox News that she had not passed the bar exam. In an interview with Real America's Voice, she had described the result as "inconsequential" since she would not have needed it in China. The Straits Times specifies that she graduated from Pepperdine in 2011, that the American Bar Association requires admission to the bar to practice, and that the White House considered her "uniquely qualified."

One aspect is specific to the Asian angle: her comments on China. On Thursday, 15 October, speaking to Jack Posobiec, she said that China did not even have "decent toilets." The Straits Times highlights the contrast with Trump's warm welcome to Xi Jinping, the two leaders having already met in 2026 and promising to meet again twice by the end of the year. The newspaper notes that the White House is seeking to maintain stable relations with Beijing.

The tone remains factual, without editorial commentary on the American press or media favorable to Trump, and the coverage does not address the intelligence shared with Ukraine or Beijing's reaction.