Katie Zacharia Tapped as Next White House Press Secretary
Conservative commentator Katie Zacharia has been offered the job of White House press secretary, making her the likely successor to Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down from the role in August.
A White House official confirmed the selection on Friday, according to TIME. The New York Times was first to report the news. It was not immediately clear whether Zacharia had formally accepted the offer.
Who Is Katie Zacharia?
Zacharia, 41, is a mother of four, according to The Daily Beast. She is a lawyer and a familiar face on cable news. She has appeared as a conservative commentator on Fox News, Newsmax, CNN, One America News and other outlets.
She currently works as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind President Donald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social.
Zacharia also has government experience. She briefly served as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs and spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security under former Secretary Kristi Noem, leaving the post in March. Noem herself was removed from her post as Homeland Security secretary that same month.
She earned both her bachelor's and law degrees from Pepperdine University, where she serves on the school's Dean's Council. She also previously worked for Fix California, an advocacy group led by Trump ally Richard Grenell, Axios reported.
Earlier in her career, she lived in Beijing from 2011 to 2013, where she worked as a corporate lawyer, The Daily Beast reported.
Zacharia has described herself as a "native Californian and lifelong conservative." In an April appearance on CNN, she said she was a "huge fan of ICE and a big fan of the Border Patrol."
Replacing Karoline Leavitt
If she accepts, Zacharia will take over the podium from Leavitt, who stepped down at the end of August.
Leavitt cited the demands of the job and her desire to spend more time with her family. She had welcomed her second child in May and said she felt she "cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve" while serving in the demanding role.
Trump praised Leavitt as "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office" and said she would stay on as an outside adviser. Leavitt has since joined Fox News as an on-air contributor, starting November 1.
Leavitt, who took the job in January 2025, became the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary.
Other Names Considered
Zacharia's selection reportedly surprised some in Washington. Several other well-known Trump allies had been floated for the job, including CNN commentator Scott Jennings, former Trump lawyer Alina Habba, longtime adviser Jason Miller and Leavitt's deputy, Anna Kelly.
Zacharia has shown her support for Trump on social media. In a January Instagram post featuring a photo with the president, she praised him as someone who "actually gets stuff done."
A High-Profile Job Before the Midterms
The press secretary serves as the administration's main spokesperson, answering reporters' questions at White House briefings and defending the president's agenda in public appearances.
Zacharia would step into the role at a challenging time for the White House. Trump's approval rating recently hit a new low in a Pew Research Center poll, which found just 30% of Americans approve of the job he is doing, and Republicans are working to hold on to their majorities in Congress ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The White House has not announced when Zacharia would begin or who will continue handling briefings until then.
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