Katie Zacharia Starts as White House Press Secretary Monday, First Briefing Set for Tuesday
President Trump announced that Katie Zacharia, a former Homeland Security spokesperson and conservative commentator, will take over as White House press secretary on Monday and hold her first news conference Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
Katie Zacharia begins her term as White House press secretary on Monday, Columbus Day, President Donald Trump announced Sunday. She will hold her first introductory news conference Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. from the Press Briefing Room at the White House.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, writing that he was pleased to announce Zacharia’s start date and Tuesday briefing, and adding that she has been with him “in spirit, from the very beginning.”
Zacharia succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who recently left the White House and then became a Fox News contributor. Trump also used a separate post to praise Leavitt, thanking her for what he called a fantastic job as press secretary.
From DHS spokesperson to the briefing room
Zacharia is a vocal Trump supporter and a frequent guest on Newsmax and Fox News. She works for Fix California, an organization led by longtime Trump ally Richard Grenell that promotes conservative policies in the state. She is also a senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, according to USA Today.
She served about three months as a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson in early 2026 under then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and left after Markwayne Mullin took over the department. During that tenure, she reportedly developed close relationships with Noem and her senior adviser, Corey Lewandowski.
A mother of four, Zacharia told Just the News that frequent travel between California and Washington had taken a toll on her family and contributed to her decision to leave DHS. The press secretary position had been open since Leavitt left the post at the end of August, according to USA Today.
After Trump’s announcement, Zacharia thanked him in a post on X, calling the appointment “the distinguished privilege of serving as White House Press Secretary.” She said her focus would be highlighting the administration’s accomplishments and working with the White House press corps to get its record out.
Reporting based on coverage by Newsmax and USA Today.
