President Donald Trump appointed Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary on Friday. She will start her new role on Columbus Day, with her first news conference set for Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. The White House announced this selection last week to fill the vacancy left by Karoline Leavitt.
Zacharia replaces Leavitt, who stepped down in late August to focus on her family after having a second child. Leavitt held the post at age 29, making her the youngest person ever to serve in the role. Her departure left the daily briefing schedule thinner during a critical time for the administration.
A Veteran Voice From Truth Social
Zacharia brings deep experience from both private media and federal government service. Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, most recently employed her as a senior communications adviser. At the Department of Homeland Security, she previously held the position of deputy assistant secretary for public affairs while serving as a spokesperson.
A California native, she earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011. Her other engagements include acting as general counsel for conservative grassroots groups and working as an analyst on Fox News and Newsmax. Trump called her “a great person” while departing the White House on Friday.
He told reporters, “She’s a friend of most of you. I know she likes people. She likes all of you, actually. I don’t know if that’s good or bad … she’s going to be, I think, terrific,” he told reporters, according to Breitbart. This appointment marks her transition from a corporate advisory role to the center of the White House press room.
What Zacharia Said About the Job
Zacharia wrote that taking this job is a major privilege for her and her family. She stated, “Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime,” she wrote, according to RedState. She emphasized that the President shows America how to be great again every single day.
She outlined her main goal as communicating the administration’s successes to the public. “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 wrote.
Zacharia also expressed excitement about engaging with the press corps directly. “I look forward to working with the White House press corps, and with reporters across the country, to get that record out,” she wrote. She will be the 37th person to hold this specific office in the White House.
Next Steps for the Briefing Room
The new press secretary is scheduled to begin her official duties on Monday, October 12. Her first public appearance will be an introductory news conference in the White House Press Briefing Room. This event will take place on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., just two days after her start date.
Trump noted that Zacharia has been with him in spirit since the very beginning of his campaign. He said she would do a fantastic job in this high-pressure role. The 41-year-old mother of four is now ready to take over the daily briefings that shape the national news cycle.
