Trump Names Katie Zacharia as New White House Press Secretary
The 41-year-old attorney and Truth Social executive succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who left the post at the end of August. She starts Monday.
President Donald Trump on Friday named Katie Zacharia, a 41-year-old attorney and conservative commentator, as the next White House press secretary. Trump announced the pick in a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, ending a vacancy of more than a month.
"She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning," Trump wrote. Speaking to reporters at the White House as he left for Syracuse, New York, he added: "She's a great person. She's going to be — I think — terrific."
Zacharia currently serves as senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that runs Truth Social. She has appeared as a commentator on Fox News, Newsmax, and CNN, and worked briefly as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
A California native, she earned her law degree from Pepperdine University's Caruso School of Law. She is general counsel for Fix California, a conservative advocacy group. Her résumé also includes a stint in the White House Office of Political Affairs during George W. Bush's second term, three years in China that included work as outside counsel for the World Bank, and an internship at the Republican National Committee. She is married with four children.
Zacharia succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who left the post at the end of August after serving as the White House's public face. Leavitt, who was national press secretary for Trump's 2024 campaign, said she was stepping down to spend more time with her young children following the birth of her second child in May. She is set to join Fox News as an on-air contributor beginning Nov. 1.
Zacharia called the appointment a "distinguished privilege" in a post on X. "Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime," she wrote. Appearing on Fox News on Friday evening, she said she will start the job Monday but did not say when her first briefing would be. She said the president called her himself with the offer — "the chief talent recruiter, the president himself," she said.
Trump consulted close allies in the days before the announcement, CNN reported, including Leavitt. Two people familiar with the discussions told CNN the president sought Leavitt's counsel on Zacharia before making the final decision.
