Trump Wants Katie Zacharia as Press Secretary, White House Official Says

The conservative commentator and former Homeland Security spokesperson would replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the job in late August.

Donald Trump has chosen conservative commentator Katie Zacharia as his next White House press secretary, according to a White House official cited by the Guardian.

She'd take over from Karoline Leavitt, who stepped away at the end of August after having her second baby. The Guardian credited the New York Times with breaking the news of Zacharia's selection.

Zacharia has spoken for the government before, as a Homeland Security Department spokesperson. Her current job is with Trump Media and Technology Group, where she's a communications adviser. The company owns Truth Social, the president's social network.

If she says yes, she'd go from advising the company behind Trump's social network to speaking for him from the briefing room podium.

That podium comes with a fight already going. The White House is in a running battle with CNN, MS NOW and Politico over the three newsrooms' access. Whoever replaces Leavitt inherits that dispute along with the job.

The open question is whether Zacharia has said yes. The Guardian reported that it wasn't immediately clear whether she'd accepted.

Source: The Guardian, retrieved October 9, 2026.