President Donald Trump said Friday he has selected Katie Zacharia to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary.
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Zacharia worked as a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security for a few months this year, toward the end of Kristi L. Noem’s tenure.
An attorney and mother of four, Zacharia is a frequent presence on conservative television and is currently a senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group.
“She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!”
Zacharia previously was a conservative commentator on Fox News and Newsmax, and as director of development at Pepperdine University, where she received her undergraduate and law degrees. She worked overseas in China early in her career.
A California resident, Zacharia visited the White House two weeks ago and again last week, meeting with the president during the latter visit, said a person familiar with the offer. When Trump was on the West Coast over the summer, he sent her congratulatory text messages after watching her on television, that person said.
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Though not a Washington mainstay, she is a familiar figure in Trump’s circle and someone who fits the president’s preferred image for the role, said a person with knowledge of the decision, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Zacharia is “straight out of central casting,” they added.
Zacharia has long-standing ties to several ofTrump’s close advisers, including White House Communications Director Steven Cheung. During her time at DHS, she also worked closely with Lauren Bis, a deputy assistant secretary who is now senior deputy White House press secretary.
Zacharia is expected to a have a direct line to the president, as Leavitt did, an aspect of the role that Trump considers particularly important.
Leavitt was the first White House press secretary of Trump’s second term, after working on his 2024 presidential campaign. She had become a close and trusted adviser to Trump, but made the decision to leave after giving birth to her daughter in May — Leavitt’s second child in two years.
