Trump Names Katie Zacharia Press Secretary

Donald Trump has selected Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator and adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, as the next White House press secretary. She will be the sixth person to hold the role across his two administrations. Trump praised her loyalty and support for his Make America Great Again movement, saying she had helped his campaigns in swing states and would work well with the media, the public, and his administration. Zacharia thanked Trump and said she looked forward to communicating his record to reporters and the public. Zacharia, 42, has spent much of her adult life in Republican politics. Her experience includes work at the Republican National Committee, the Bush administration’s White House Office of Political Affairs, and a brief stint at the Department of Homeland Security. Since June, she has served as a senior communications adviser for Trump’s media company and Truth Social. She is also a lawyer, a former general counsel for the conservative nonprofit Fix California, and a frequent guest on Newsmax and Fox News. Her public commentary has included forceful defenses of Trump: she compared the values of a televised UFC fight hosted at the White House to those underlying the US republic and argued that wearing a MAGA hat at a gym was an issue of free speech. Political scientist Justin Buchler said Trump’s second-term appointments have emphasized personal affiliation and loyalty. University of Michigan professor Yanna Krupnikov said Zacharia’s selection reflects blurred boundaries between traditional media and social media, with political communication increasingly aimed at delivering specific messages directly to ordinary people. The article also outlines the press secretary’s broader responsibilities, including managing press relations, coordinating across the White House, advising the president on media, and overseeing responses to inquiries. Zacharia replaces Karoline Leavitt, who left in August, reportedly to take a job with Fox News and said she wanted more time with her family.

US President Donald Trump has named Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary, replacing Karoline Leavitt. Trump announced the appointment on Truth Social, describing Zacharia as a “loyal and brilliant supporter” and a member of the Make America Great Again movement. Zacharia, 42, is from California and had been a Senior Communications Advisor to Truth Social. She previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. In a post on X, Zacharia thanked Trump and praised his leadership. She said her priorities would be communicating the administration’s results to the public and working with the White House press corps and reporters nationwide. She also praised Leavitt, calling her “fabulous” and saying she had set a high standard for the job. Trump had said Leavitt would leave in August to spend more time with her young children and family. Fox News announced that she would join the network as a commentator beginning November 1. During her more than 18 months as press secretary, Leavitt was known for a combative relationship with reporters. The article cites her calling a White House reporter a “left-wing hack” after a question about the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. It also notes that she defended Trump’s handling of the Epstein files and the ongoing Iran war. The article places the appointment in the context of political pressure on Trump, including low approval ratings tied to high energy prices amid the Iran war and the approaching November 3 midterm elections. Democrats are expected to make significant gains in Congress. It also notes that Trump had four press secretaries during his first term: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany.

US President Donald Trump announced that Katie Zacharia will become the next White House press secretary, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August. Zacharia is a lawyer and communications adviser for Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, and has frequently appeared on conservative news outlets. Trump made the announcement on Friday in a post on Truth Social. He praised Zacharia as having an “unblemished record of support” and described her as a loyal and brilliant supporter. He also expressed confidence that she would perform well in the role and work effectively with the media, the American public, and his administration. The New York Times was the first to report Zacharia’s appointment. The article provides no further details about the transition, Zacharia’s responsibilities, or her prior communications work. Its focus is the appointment itself and Trump’s public endorsement of his new press secretary. The report is attributed to Reuters and is presented as a brief news item.