Trump announces attorney Katie Zacharia as new White House press secretary

President Donald Trump announced that attorney and longtime Republican Katie Zacharia will be his new press secretary starting Oct. 12, Columbus Day. Since Columbus Day is a federal holiday, an introductory press conference with Zacharia has been scheduled for the morning of Oct. 13.

“Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning, and will do a fantastic job!” Trump said in an Oct. 11 Truth Social post announcing the appointment.

Zacharia thanked the President for the “distinguished privilege” in an X post, affirming her commitment to the administration’s agenda and priorities.

“Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime. President Trump has shown America that we can be great again, and he works to effectuate that greatness every single day. His confidence is a true privilege, and his leadership is a blessing to this country,” she continued. “God bless President Trump, and God bless America.”

A graduate of Pepperdine University and its Caruso School of Law, Zacharia has been involved in Republican politics for more than 20 years, including serving as president of Pepperdine’s College Republicans chapter and interning with the Republican National Committee. She then worked in law, including international law, before settling in her native southern California to raise a family.

In the early 2020s, Zacharia became more heavily involved in Republican causes, including serving on advisory boards for pro-life organizations and, beginning in 2024, as general counsel for the Trump-aligned Fix California initiative, an election integrity non-profit founded by Ric Grenell, Trump’s special presidential envoy for special missions. She also appeared as a political commentator on Fox News, Newsmax, CNN, and other outlets and was involved in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

In a podcast appearance last year, Zacharia shared that her commitment to pro-life principles is rooted in personal experience. Her mother, at the age of 19, had scheduled an appointment for an abortion and a family member agreed to take her to the appointment. The unborn Zacharia was “approximately 20, 30 minutes away from being aborted,” she said, when a Christian counselor called her mother and convinced her not to keep the appointment and instead to put her child up for adoption.

Early in 2026, Zacharia took an official role with the Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesperson at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), replacing Tricia McLaughlin in the role. Zacharia left DHS in March and took on a role as a senior communications advisor for Truth Social, the President’s favored social media outlet.

Zacharia succeeds Karoline Leavitt as White House Press Secretary. Leavitt retired from the role in August in order to spend more time with her family, although Trump shared that she would remain one of his “top outside advisors.” Shortly afterwards she accepted positions at Fox News and at Trump’s political action committee MAGA Inc.

“Following the fabulous Karoline Leavitt is a high standard, and one worth meeting,” Zacharia said of her predecessor in an X post.

“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 added. “I look forward to working with the White House press corps, and with reporters across the country, to get that record out.”