Trump picks "loyal" Katie Zacharia as next White House press secretary
Washington — President Trump on Friday announced conservative commentator Katie Zacharia will be the next White House press secretary, praising her "unblemished record of support."
Zacharia, a California native, briefly worked for the Department of Homeland Security as a spokesperson earlier this year, and currently works as a senior communications adviser for Truth Social, the president's social media site. She also assisted the president on the campaign trail, he said.
"She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning," the president wrote on Truth Social. "She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA! I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration."
The president wished her luck. The New York Times was first to report that Zacharia was offered the role.
The position has been vacant since Karoline Leavitt left in late August. The White House James S. Brady Press Briefing Room hasn't hosted a briefing for the press since Sept. 3, when Vice President JD Vance addressed reporters and took 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."
"The work ahead is to continue delivering strong results for our Country and communicating to the American people the major wins that this Administration is making every single day," she said in the post. "I look forward to working with the White House press corps, and with reporters across the country, to get that record out. Following the fabulous Karoline Leavitt is a high standard, and one worth meeting."
Zacharia, who lives in California, completed her undergraduate and law degrees at Pepperdine University in Malibu, according to her LinkedIn.
Earlier this year, Zacharia wrote an op-ed for the New York Post about her experience wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat to her local gym. She said the owner of the gym ultimately asked her to stop wearing it.
"I responded that I would never take my Trump hat off to appease the left," she wrote. "This is raw, unfiltered intolerance. Freedom of speech doesn't evaporate at the gym door."
"The First Amendment has no 'discomfort' clause," she added, although the First Amendment protects against government censorship of speech, not private businesses.
