<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/katie-zacharia/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Katie Zacharia</a></strong> will appear in the White House briefing room on Tuesday morning for the first time as President Donald Trump’s press secretary. She plans to remain in the role until the end of the president’s term, which is more than two years away and would surpass the previous record for a press secretary under Trump.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Zacharia is scheduled to take the briefing room podium at 9:30 a.m., less than 24 hours after starting work in the West Wing, and four days after being named as <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/karoline-leavitt/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Karoline Leavitt’s</strong></a> replacement.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She spent the weekend packing at her home in California before flying to Washington on Sunday evening and meeting her new team on Monday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After answering journalists’ questions on her second day, she is set to accompany Trump to <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/alaska/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Alaska</strong></a> for a campaign rally.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img alt="White House aide Natalie Harp, left, stands with White House press secretary Katie Zacharia as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Washington." class="wp-image-4763702" height="682" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26285766962892.jpg?w=696" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> White House aide Natalie Harp, left, stands with White House press secretary Katie Zacharia as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)</figcaption></figure> </div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I hit the ground running. I hit the ground at a critical time, a crucial time. I’m here to work. I’m here to put my head down,” she said at the end of her first day.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Her busy television schedule and loyalty caught the president’s attention in recent weeks, and she was the only serious contender for the role, as <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/4762778/how-katie-zacharia-caught-trump-eye/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Secrets</em> revealed on Monday.</strong></a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Zacharia, 41, joins from the <strong>Trump Media and Technology Group</strong>, the parent company of Truth Social, where she served as a communications adviser. Prior to that, she worked at the <strong>Department of Homeland Security</strong> as a spokeswoman.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In that role, she was allowed to split her time between Washington and working remotely in California.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now, she is house hunting in the Washington, D.C., area to be closer to her husband <strong>Tyler</strong> and four children at the end of long days.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Zacharia stated her intention to stay in the role until Trump’s term ends, which would extend her tenure into January 2029, surpassing Sarah Sanders’s nearly two years in the position.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For now, she indicated that her priorities are to serve the president, particularly with the upcoming November elections.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I’m here to serve him for the midterms. So it’s not about my priorities,” she said. “It’s his priorities, which are the midterms and getting deals done for America. However I can amplify that is my priority.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tuesday will mark her first opportunity to meet the wider press corps and address questions regarding the president's record.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Polls indicate that the president’s party may lose both the House of Representatives and the Senate; the president’s approval ratings are low. She will face challenging questions about Trump’s foreign policy priorities, including how to end the war in Iran and his decision to purchase diesel from Russia, as well as the ongoing legal disputes with <strong>CNN</strong>, <strong>MS Now</strong>, and <strong><em>Politico</em></strong> regarding access to the White House campus.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“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,” Zacharia posted on X after her new role was announced.</p>