US President Donald Trump has appointed conservative commentator Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August, a senior presidential official has confirmed.
Zacharia previously served as spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security under then-secretary Kristi Noem and currently works as communications adviser to Trump Media and Technology Group, the company that operates the president’s social media platform, Truth Social. A lawyer by profession and mother of four, she has also appeared frequently as a commentator on conservative television networks.
Her appointment follows a period in which the White House press briefing room was largely inactive after Leavitt’s maternity leave and subsequent departure. Members of Trump’s Cabinet appeared intermittently to answer journalists’ questions, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice-President J. D. Vance and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Leavitt, 29, became the youngest White House press secretary in history when she assumed the role. During approximately 18 months in the position, she became known for her combative exchanges with journalists and her forceful defence of Trump and his political positions. Her tenure made her one of the president’s most prominent and trusted advisers.
Before returning to the White House, Leavitt had worked in its press office during Trump’s first administration. Following an unsuccessful campaign for election to Congress in her home state of New Hampshire, she joined Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign as its spokesperson. Her work during the campaign and subsequent service as the administration’s principal spokesperson strengthened her position within the president’s inner circle.
Leavitt gave birth to her second daughter in May, two years after the birth of her first child. After briefly returning from maternity leave, she announced in August that she would leave the White House permanently.
Since her departure, Leavitt has continued appearing on conservative television programmes. Last month, she confirmed that she would join Fox News as a political analyst, following a path taken by other Republican presidential press secretaries. Dana Perino and Ari Fleischer, who served as spokespeople for President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, also moved into television commentary after their White House service.
Zacharia’s appointment brings a new figure into a communications operation that has relied on occasional appearances by senior administration officials during the gap in regular briefings. Her experience in the Department of Homeland Security and her current position within Trump’s media company give her previous involvement in both government communications and the president’s wider political and media network.
She served as spokesperson for Noem before the former homeland security secretary was dismissed early this year. Zacharia subsequently maintained a public profile through appearances on conservative media outlets, where she discussed political issues and the administration’s agenda.
The transition comes as the White House prepares to resume more regular communication with journalists through its principal press spokesperson. Leavitt’s departure had left the briefing-room podium largely unattended, with Cabinet members taking turns addressing reporters rather than a permanent press secretary handling the administration’s daily exchanges with the media.
El País, which reported Zacharia’s appointment and Leavitt’s subsequent move to Fox News, described Leavitt’s tenure as notable for her uncompromising style and steadfast defence of the president’s arguments. Her successor now assumes the role after months in which the administration’s public responses to journalists were delivered intermittently by senior officials.
