Senior US official confirms departure of Trump's new spokeswoman

Shortly before that, the US President stated at the White House, "I said to her, frankly, if I were you, I would reconsider (the position)," noting that Zakaria, who has so far only spoken to conservative media outlets, had been treated "very badly" by the press.

He added, "I just spoke with her, and I said to her: Katie, is this job right for you?", noting that he told the spokeswoman, "Frankly, you don't need this."

Zakaria's professional background raised several questions, and she indirectly admitted on Thursday that she had not passed the bar exam, while asserting her right to identify herself as a lawyer.

However, there is no evidence that she passed the bar exam in the United States after obtaining a law degree from Pepperdine University in California.

Zakaria moved to China, where she worked as a legal expert at a well-known Chinese law firm.

On Wednesday, a US watchdog group filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, calling for an investigation into whether Trump's spokeswoman broke the law by presenting herself as a lawyer, despite not holding a license to practice.

This controversy followed Zakaria's stumbling first appearance as White House press secretary on Tuesday, when she read at length from prepared notes during a briefing that lasted only 14 minutes.

She only took questions from three news organizations considered supportive of the US administration and stumbled in providing some answers, at one point mistakenly referring to her husband as the President.

Katie Zakaria succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who left her post in August to care for her children.