Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday that Katie Zacharia would become the next White House press secretary sparked widespread curiosity about the glamorous conservative commentator chosen to succeed Karoline Leavitt.
Zacharia, 42, is an attorney and longtime television contributor who has appeared regularly on Fox News and Newsmax. She is known for her outspoken conservative views and blunt, unapologetic style.
She is married to Hollywood producer Tyler Zacharia, and the couple has four children.
Her political career began while she was in college, when she took an internship with the Republican National Committee.
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine’s Seaver College and later attended the university’s Caruso School of Law. She went on to build a career in corporate affairs and political advocacy.
During the Bush administration, she worked in the White House Office of Political Affairs. She also spent three years in China as outside counsel for the World Bank.
For years, Zacharia has also been a familiar presence on cable news, taking on contentious political issues as a prime-time contributor for both Newsmax and Fox News.
Earlier this year, she drew attention after spending only six weeks as a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security before abruptly leaving the position in March.
Donald Trump’s announcement that Katie Zacharia would become White House press secretary prompted widespread interest in the glamorous conservative figure chosen to replace Karoline Leavitt.
Zacharia, 42, is married to Hollywood producer Tyler Zacharia, and they have four children.
She had taken over from Tricia McLaughlin in February as the public face of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Her tenure was brief, however. Zacharia’s departure from DHS became the subject of controversy after reports claimed she had been forced out because of her close relationship with Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her rumored romantic partner.
Zacharia strongly rejected that explanation, saying instead that the demanding travel schedule between Washington and her California home had placed too much pressure on her family.
Since leaving DHS, she has worked as a communications adviser for Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social.
Her husband, Tyler, has produced films including The Irishman, Countdown, The Starling, The Desperate Hour and Homestead, among other projects.
Although Zacharia frequently shares glimpses of her polished lifestyle with more than 42,000 Instagram followers, she keeps her family life tightly guarded and has not featured her children on social media.
She has also spoken openly about the criticism she has received for her support of Trump.
“Being in the world of politics, whether directly or adjacent, is BRUTAL and I personally take DAILY heat for it,” she wrote in an Instagram post in September.
After earning her undergraduate degree from Pepperdine’s Seaver College, she attended the university’s Caruso School of Law and began a career in corporate and political advocacy.
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Zacharia often shares glamorous moments from her life on Instagram, where she has more than 42,000 followers.
Most recently, she worked as a communications adviser to Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social
She went on to explain that she tries to ‘keep her family away from the flame,’ but gushed over how ‘proud’ she was of her husband’s work.
She also opened up about being ‘bullied’ by people ‘on the left’ as ‘a native Californian and lifelong conservative in this deep-blue state’ in an essay written for the New York Post in February.
She explained in the essay that when she visited her local cardio kickboxing gym wearing a Trump hat it ‘triggered an unhinged meltdown.’
‘One woman in the back didn’t confront me directly. Instead, she rudely interrupted the instructor mid-routine, turned the class into chaos, harassed the teacher to force me to remove my hat or face the wall so she wouldn’t have to see it, killed the entire vibe, and then stormed out like a petulant child,’ she wrote.
‘This wasn’t over threats or actual disruption – it was over a hat symbolizing my pride in helping re-elect the greatest president in US history, Donald J. Trump.’
She noted that while the instructor didn’t force her to remove the hat, ‘two additional liberal women wrote emails and waged online smear campaigns behind the scenes, leading to the owner of the gym to ask me not to wear my hat.’
‘I responded that I would never take my Trump hat off to appease the left,’ she continued.
‘This is raw, unfiltered intolerance. Freedom of speech doesn’t evaporate at the gym door.
She has been outspoken about the backlash she has faced in the past for supporting Trump
Trump confirmed the news in a Truth Social post later Friday calling the California native ‘outstanding’
‘She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA,’ the president wrote
‘The First Amendment has no “discomfort” clause. A Team Trump or MAGA hat isn’t obscenity or hate speech – it is political expression supporting our sitting president.
‘This isn’t about a hat. It’s about the right to speak and express yourself without fear – even in “tolerant” California. When private businesses become dissent-free zones, that’s the quiet death of freedom.
‘I refuse to stay silent. My constitutional rights aren’t negotiable. Tyranny thrives when good people lack courage.’
Trump confirmed the news in a Truth Social post later Friday calling the California native ‘outstanding.’
‘She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA,’ the president wrote.
Leavitt quit at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children, leaving the briefing room without a permanent face for more than a month. Trump consulted Leavitt personally before settling on Zacharia for the role, according to CNN.
