The mystery of who will succeed Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary under President Donald Trump is over. And it will be a familiar face for frequent viewers of conservative media.
The New York Times’s Hamed Aleaziz and Tyler Pager had the scoop at 2:00 p.m. Eastern that Trump Media and Technology Group communications adviser Katie Zacharia “has been chosen as the next White House press secretary.”
Other reports, such as those in The New York Post and Washington Examiner, added Zacharia has been offered the job.
Appearing on CNN News Central, CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Kelin said “Trump has selected Katie Zachariah to be the next White House press secretary...according to multiple White House officials” and “she met with the President in the Oval Office this morning.”
BREAKING: CNN's @Betsy_Klein on @KatieZacharia reportedly set to become the new White House press secretary...
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 9, 2026
"[W]e are learning that President Trump has selected Katie Zachariah to be the next White House press secretary...according to multiple White House officials. Now,… pic.twitter.com/r2bEnmqiCK
Klein added that, “in recent days,” Trump had “been polling a lot of his allies and advisers on the selection of Zachariah, including Karoline Leavitt.”
A mother of four, Zacharia briefly served as spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before moving into the role with Trump Media, which runs Truth Social
In recent years, Zacharia had become a ubiquitous presence on conservative TV news, with near-daily appearances on the Fox News Channel (FNC), Fox Business Network (FBN), Newsmax, One America News Network, and Real America’s Voice.
An attorney from California, many of Zacharia’s appearances in recent years prior to serving the Trump administration were under the banner of her work for the great people with the conservative group Fix California, founded by Rick Grenell.
When she was named to the DHS role, The Hill dove into her background:
Zacharia got her undergraduate and law degrees from Pepperdine University, according to her LinkedIn. While an undergraduate, she interned for the Republican National Committee and in the White House Office of Political Affairs during former President George W. Bush’s second term.
During law school, she worked at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and served as a law clerk to the director of Advocates International, a global network of Christian lawyers that serves the “poor, vulnerable and oppressed,” according to its website.
She also spent time after graduating from law school working internationally at a firm in Beijing and for an organization focused on caring for children of migrant workers. More recently she served on the Dean’s Council Board at Pepperdine Law and as director of development at the school.
Speaking after Klein, CNN Chief media analyst Brian Stelter conceded afterward that Leavitt will be a “[t]ough act to follow” for Zacharia because the former is “a happy warrior” and “beloved by conservative activists for her defense of President Trump.”
He also had this to say about her:
Katie Zacharia is the closest you can get to a Fox News contributor without actually being on the payroll at Fox. She’s been a regular guest on the network for – for many months, often appearing from California. She’s also appeared on other right-wing TV platforms, so the President certainly knows her and her television power from that platform. She also briefly worked for the parent company of Truth Social for the past couple of months, so she’s had a number of roles in the Trump orbit.
For what it is worth, here’s to hoping we see a return to more White House press briefings. Based on her past experience, Zacharia will certainly be a formidable foe for the liberal, elitist press.
Stay tuned to NewsBusters for more on this developing story.
