<p>President Donald Trump appointed Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator and communications adviser for Trump Media and Technology Group, to serve as his next White House press secretary. Zacharia will succeed Karoline Leavitt, who left the White House in August.</p>
<p>Her appointment comes less than a month before the 2026 midterm elections, during which Politico, MS Now, and CNN have active lawsuits against the administration over Trump's decision to ban them from White House grounds. As Zacharia prepares to lead the White House messaging during this significant period in Trump's second term, details about her background and career are emerging.</p>
<p>Zacharia joins the White House from Truth Social and its parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group, where she served as senior communications adviser. In August, she expressed her support for the Truth Social platform and Trump in a social media post, sharing a video that Trump had posted.</p>
<p>“I am always honored and grateful when the leader of the free world, President Trump, truths me,” Zacharia wrote. “It doesn’t get bigger than that!”</p>
<p>Previously, Zacharia worked in the second Trump administration, briefly serving in the Department of Homeland Security as a spokeswoman with the title of deputy assistant secretary for public affairs. She held this position in February and March, according to her LinkedIn profile.</p>
<p>Zacharia was associated with former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and left her role shortly after Markwayne Mullin became the new head of the department, according to the New York Post.</p>
<p>As a conservative political commentator, Zacharia has appeared on various media outlets including Fox News, Newsmax, and CNN. Recently, she discussed Trump’s influence in the midterm elections and economic topics on several Fox News shows. She stated on Fox Business that “the Strait of Hormuz oil levels are flowing to almost preconflict levels” and predicted a “sharp drop” in prices soon.</p>
<p>“I have never seen a president work so hard for the last decade for the Republican Party,” Zacharia told Fox News on Monday. “I just wish people understood that all of these things will translate to their pocketbooks. It’s just a matter of time.”</p>
<p>During her college years, Zacharia interned at the White House under then-President George W. Bush during the 2006 midterm season, working in the Office of Political Affairs. She also interned at the Republican National Committee in 2006, according to her LinkedIn page.</p>
<p>Zacharia received both her bachelor’s and law degrees from Pepperdine University in California.</p>
<p>Additionally, she worked as general counsel for the election integrity group Fix California, founded by Ric Grenell, Trump’s special envoy for special missions of the United States.</p>