President Trump has picked Katie Zacharia, a lawyer, TV commentator and loyal supporter, to be the new White House press secretary.
Story Highlights
- Zacharia is a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that owns Trump’s Truth Social site, and briefly served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.
- The press secretary job has been empty since Karoline Leavitt left in late August, after Trump said she was leaving to spend more time with her young children and family.
- Trump called Zacharia “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.”
- Zacharia called the job “the honor of a lifetime.” No start date or first briefing has been announced.
Trump Fills The Empty Podium
The press secretary is the official who speaks for the president and answers reporters’ questions in the White House briefing room. That podium had gone quiet for weeks before Trump named his pick in a Truth Social post on Friday, October 9. “She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” Trump wrote, as reported. He added that he is “confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary.”
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn as he left for a campaign rally in New York, Trump said “she’s going to be, I think, terrific.” He joked to the press, “She likes all of you. Actually, I don’t know if that’s good or bad.” Trump did not say when she will officially start.
Who Is Katie Zacharia?
Zacharia is a California native and an attorney. She earned a political science degree and a law degree at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. She has been a frequent political commentator on cable news. Trump said she helped his campaigns in key swing states before she joined his administration.
Earlier this year she served at the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that runs border and immigration enforcement. She worked first in its public affairs office and later as a department spokesperson. Since June she has been a senior communications adviser at Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social. She is also general counsel, or top lawyer, for Fix California, a conservative advocacy group founded by Trump ally Ric Grenell, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany.
She has not been shy about her support for the president. In a February op-ed, she wrote about a gym owner asking her to stop wearing her “Make America Great Again” hat. She said she “would never take my Trump hat off to appease the left.”
Why The Seat Was Empty
Karoline Leavitt, who had been Trump’s press secretary since early 2025, left the job at the end of August. When Trump announced her exit on August 12, he said she was leaving “so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect.” Her second child was born in May. Trump asked her to keep advising him from outside the White House.
The briefing room has not hosted a briefing since September 3, when Vice President JD Vance took reporters’ questions. Zacharia said in a post on X that following Leavitt is “a high standard, and one worth meeting.”
Why The Pick Matters For Conservatives
The press secretary explains every policy to the public, from the border to prices at the pump. Zacharia comes to the job as a lawyer who has defended the president’s agenda on TV and inside the government. She said in her post on X that “serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime,” a nod to the nation’s 250th birthday this year.
She also said her work ahead is to keep delivering results, to share the administration’s wins with the American people and to work with the White House press corps. With the midterm elections set for November 3, voters will be watching how she handles her first briefings once the White House sets a date.
Sources:
people.com, nationpress.com, yahoo.com
