Who Is Katie Zacharia, Donald Trump’s New White House Press Secretary?

U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed conservative commentator and communications adviser Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary, bringing a longtime supporter of his political movement into a key administration communications role.

Trump announced the appointment on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday, October 9. He praised Zacharia as a “loyal and brilliant supporter” and expressed confidence that she would work effectively with the media, the American public and his administration. The announcement was also reported by the Associated Press and other major U.S. news outlets.

Zacharia will succeed Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August to spend more time with her family. The press secretary’s post had remained vacant since her departure.

Zacharia currently serves as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that operates Truth Social. Earlier this year, she briefly worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.

She has also appeared as a conservative commentator on television networks including Fox News and Newsmax. Her political experience includes work on Trump’s election campaigns, particularly in key swing states.

A California native, Zacharia studied at Pepperdine University, where she earned an undergraduate degree and a law degree. She has also been involved in conservative advocacy, including work with the organization Fix California.

Her support for Trump and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement has featured prominently in her public statements. In a February opinion article published by the New York Post, she described an incident in which she said a gym owner asked her not to wear a pro-Trump cap. Zacharia argued that she should not have to remove the cap to accommodate political disagreement.

Her appointment places a vocal defender of Trump’s agenda in charge of communicating the administration’s policies and responding to questions from the White House press corps.

Zacharia’s experience in conservative media and government communications is expected to shape her approach to the role as she takes over from Leavitt.