Washington — President Trump said Friday that conservative commentator Katie Zacharia will become the next White House press secretary, citing what he described as her unwavering support for his administration.
A California native, Zacharia previously served briefly as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year. She now works as a senior communications adviser for Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, and also supported him during his campaign, according to the president.
In a Truth Social announcement, Trump called Zacharia a “loyal and brilliant supporter” who had backed him from the start. He also highlighted her ties to the MAGA movement and said he was confident she would work effectively with the news media, the public and his administration as White House press secretary.
Trump ended the announcement by wishing Zacharia success. The New York Times was the first outlet to report that she had been offered the position.
The White House press secretary role has been open since Karoline Leavitt departed in late August. No formal briefing has been held in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room since Sept. 3, when Vice President JD Vance spoke with reporters and answered questions.
In a social media post, Zacharia said “serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime.”
Zacharia said the administration’s communications team would focus on promoting what she characterized as its daily accomplishments and keeping the American public informed. She added that she looked forward to working with the White House press corps and journalists nationwide, while acknowledging that succeeding “fabulous” former press secretary Karoline Leavitt would set a demanding standard.
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According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia remains based in California and earned both her undergraduate degree and law degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu.
In an opinion piece published by the New York Post earlier this year, Zacharia recounted a dispute at a local gym over her decision to wear a “Make America Great Again” hat. She wrote that the gym’s owner eventually asked her not to wear it there.
Zacharia said she refused, arguing that she would not remove her Trump hat simply to satisfy critics on the political left. In the column, she described the incident as an example of “raw, unfiltered intolerance” and maintained that free-speech rights should not disappear at the entrance to a gym.
She further argued that the First Amendment contains no exception for making others uncomfortable. The constitutional protection, however, limits government restrictions on speech and generally does not prevent private businesses from setting their own policies.
