The conservative commentator and Trump Media adviser replaces Karoline Leavitt as the administration’s top spokesperson.
President Donald Trump appointed conservative commentator and attorney Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary on Friday, filling the post left vacant by Karoline Leavitt.
Trump announced the decision on social media, praising Zacharia’s loyalty and pointing to her previous work assisting his campaigns across seven key swing states, Fox News reported. Zacharia, who currently works as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, accepted the post in a statement online, calling it “the honor of a lifetime” and writing that she looks forward to working with reporters across the country to share the administration’s record.
The selection, first reported by The New York Times, makes the 42-year-old Zacharia Trump’s sixth chief spokesperson across his two presidential terms, according to BBC News. Leavitt stepped down from the role in late August and has since signed on as an on-air contributor at Fox News.
Zacharia’s path to the briefing room
Zacharia has spent much of her career moving between conservative politics, media commentary and the law. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Pepperdine University in 2007 before graduating from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where she now sits on the dean’s council, Variety reported. In 2011, she worked for nearly two years as a law clerk in Beijing, China.
Her work in Washington began two decades ago with internships at the Republican National Committee and the White House Office of Political Affairs during the George W. Bush administration in 2006. She later served as general counsel for Fix California, an advocacy organization launched by Trump ally Ric Grenell.
Earlier this year, Zacharia spent about two months at the Department of Homeland Security as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs under then-Secretary Kristi Noem. She stepped down from that role in March, later attributing her departure to the strain that commuting between Washington and her home in California placed on her family. She joined Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, in June while continuing regular appearances as a political commentator on Fox News, Newsmax and CNN.
Why the appointment matters
The appointment arrives as Trump publicly voices frustration over the administration’s media coverage ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Speaking at a Hispanic Heritage Month event in the East Room, Trump complained about his team’s public relations output, saying, “We’re doing an extremely poor job of promotion, and an extremely great job of running the country,” NBC News reported. He repeated similar criticisms at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, arguing that strong accomplishments were not reaching the public because of poor promotion.
Zacharia also inherits a briefing room caught in an ongoing legal fight. On Sept. 18, Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, calling them fake news. The three outlets filed a joint lawsuit against Trump and three administration officials to reverse the ban. A judge recently granted an emergency restraining order instructing the White House to reinstate their press access while the case proceeds.
What happened before at the podium
The White House press room operated under an unusual arrangement through the summer before Leavitt’s exit. While Leavitt was on maternity leave, the administration used a rotating group of cabinet secretaries and senior officials to take questions from reporters rather than relying on a deputy press secretary.
That lineup featured Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. Since Leavitt left the post in late August, formal press briefings have been rare, with only Vance and Attorney General Todd Blanche taking the podium for scheduled sessions.
What happens next
The White House has not yet announced an official start date for Zacharia to assume her duties behind the briefing room lectern.
In court, the temporary restraining order that keeps White House access open for CNN, MS NOW and Politico runs through Oct. 13 as the presiding judge weighs whether to grant a permanent injunction.
