President Trump picks Katie Zacharia from Trump Media as White House press secretary

President Donald Trump has named Katie Zacharia, a lawyer and senior communications adviser at Trump Media, as the next White House press secretary succeeding Karoline Leavitt.

Trump made the choice public in a Truth Social post, putting a longtime loyalist into the job just as Leavitt steps away. Zacharia begins tomorrow on Columbus Day and will hold her introductory news conference Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. from the White House Press Briefing Room.

CNBC reported the president’s announcement and Zacharia’s rapid path from Trump Media into the administration’s most visible communications post.

Trump left no doubt about his confidence in the pick.

"I am pleased to announce that Katie Zacharia will be beginning her term as Press Secretary tomorrow, Columbus Day, and will be doing an introductory News Conference on Tuesday at 9:30 A.M. from the Press Briefing Room in the White House,"

He added that she has been with him “in spirit, from the very beginning” and “will do a fantastic job.”

The move fills the vacancy left when Leavitt departed in late August after giving birth to her second child earlier this year and taking maternity leave. She is expected to join Fox News as an on-air contributor next month.

Zacharia brings Trump Media experience and a hardline record

Zacharia has worked since June as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology, the company that owns Truth Social. She is also a lawyer, conservative commentator, and self-described “hardline Trump supporter.”

Before that role she finished a two-month stint as a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security in March. She serves as general counsel at Fix California, the conservative activist group founded by Richard Grenell, Trump’s special presidential envoy for special missions.

She has made dozens of appearances on Fox News political talk shows and other conservative outlets. A December 14, 2025 photo placed her at the Nashville premiere of the film “David” at an AMC theater in Franklin, Tennessee.

Breitbart noted Trump’s further praise of her as “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” while Zacharia herself called the appointment the “honor of a lifetime” and said the president’s leadership is “a blessing to this country.”

That loyalty track record fits a pattern of Trump elevating proven allies who already know the administration’s priorities, much as he has done when he publicly backed Laura Loomer on personnel concerns.

First briefing arrives fast after the handoff

Zacharia is not easing in slowly. Just the News reported she is scheduled to take the podium for her first briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, a mere 24 hours after beginning work and four days after being named Leavitt’s replacement.

The speed matches the administration’s broader pace of decisive moves, whether confirming major industrial projects or cutting wasteful spending. Readers following those announcements have watched Trump unveil the Arsenal-2 shipyard and cancel hundreds of millions in migrant aid and DEI outlays with equal clarity.

Fox News reported that two White House officials confirmed the selection before Trump’s public post, and that Zacharia currently serves as senior communications adviser to the group that operates Truth Social. Trump framed the appointment in strong terms there as well.

"It is my Great Honor to have just appointed, as Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia. Katie currently serves as Senior Communications Advisor to Truth Social (Trump Media & Technology Group), where she has been outstanding!"

Zacharia answered in kind.

"Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime."

She pledged to communicate the administration’s accomplishments while working with the press corps. That focus on results over spin lines up with concrete deliverables already reaching voters, including the nearly 21 million Medicare premium relief payments the Trump administration has sent out.

Leavitt’s exit clears the path for a new voice

Leavitt left the administration after announcing her departure in mid-August and formally stepping away on Aug. 27, choosing time with her children. Her move to Fox News as a contributor keeps another familiar conservative voice in the media mix.

Zacharia now inherits the daily task of defending the record on borders, spending, and growth. Trump has kept pressing political openings elsewhere, including when he urged Sen. John Fetterman toward the GOP as Democratic support weakened. The press secretary role will require the same directness.

Her résumé, Trump Media, DHS, Fix California, and steady cable appearances, gives her the institutional memory and media fluency the briefing room demands. She arrives already fluent in the president’s priorities rather than learning them on the job.

The introductory conference Tuesday will be the first public test. Zacharia starts with the president’s full endorsement and a clear mandate to speak for an administration that prefers action over excuses.

Americans who want straight answers from the White House podium finally have a press secretary who has lived the agenda she will defend.