WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday named Katie Zacharia, a 41-year-old conservative attorney and television commentator, as the new White House press secretary, filling the post left vacant when Karoline Leavitt departed at the end of August, according to USA Today and CNN.
Zacharia currently serves as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, and previously spent a brief stint as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. Trump described her as a “loyal and brilliant supporter” with an “unblemished record of support,” the outlets reported.
Zacharia said she will start Monday, October 12, calling the appointment “the honor of a lifetime.” Her arrival ends weeks of speculation about who would take over the briefing-room podium, one of the administration’s most visible — and scrutinized — roles.
A pivotal podium
The press secretary job has been central to how this White House communicates with the public, from daily briefings to rapid-fire social media responses. Zacharia’s background — part litigator, part cable-news commentator, part Trump Media insider — suggests the administration wants a combative, on-message voice at the podium heading into a packed fall news cycle. Supporters point to her television experience as ideal preparation; critics will be watching how she handles the adversarial give-and-take that defined her predecessor’s briefings.
The post has sat empty since Leavitt’s departure at the end of August, leaving weeks of speculation about her successor and a string of names floated in Washington media. Zacharia’s path runs through the president’s own media orbit: as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, she has worked inside the company behind Truth Social, the platform where Trump makes many of his announcements. Her brief turn as a Homeland Security spokesperson gave her a first taste of the federal briefing room. Her first on-camera briefing is expected early next week, and it will be closely watched as the first test of the White House’s new voice.
