President Donald Trump has selected conservative commentator Katie Zacharia as his new White House press secretary, filling an administration post left vacant after Karoline Leavitt’s departure nearly two months earlier. The White House confirmed the appointment Friday.

Zacharia will become Trump’s chief spokesperson and assume one of the administration’s most prominent public roles as the president navigates his second term. The timing of her official start remains unclear.

The New York Times first reported the appointment. Trump later praised Zacharia on Truth Social, describing her as a longtime supporter with a record of loyalty to him and his political movement.

“She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!” Trump wrote. “I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration.”

Zacharia thanked Trump for the appointment Friday afternoon, calling it “the honor of a lifetime.” She pledged to communicate the administration’s accomplishments to the public once she assumes the position.

“I look forward to working with the White House press corps, and with reporters across the country, to get that record out,” she wrote on X.

The White House did not respond when MS NOW asked when Zacharia would officially begin. Her appointment comes nearly two months after Leavitt departed the role in August.

Zacharia briefly served at the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year. She joined the department in February as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs and as a spokesperson under then Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but left after only several weeks.

Although relatively obscure within Trump’s political sphere, Zacharia has connections to his personal business and longtime political allies. She previously worked as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social.

Zacharia also held a leadership position at Fix California, a conservative advocacy organization founded by Trump ally Richard Grenell. Her media appearances have included spots on Fox News and Newsmax.

Her social media history includes several controversial and false claims. Zacharia falsely asserted that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, described climate change as a “hoax,” and said in May that green energy was China’s plot to subdue the United States.

Zacharia has also publicly opposed the Covid-19 vaccination. In an August post on X, she claimed that refusing the vaccine saved her son, whom she described as thriving and 5 years old, though there is no scientific evidence supporting that claim.

She serves on the board of advisers for the White Rose Resistance, an organization opposing abortion that was founded in 2022. That was the year the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and the organization describes its mission as being “a voice for unborn children.”

In 2025, Zacharia claimed that mifepristone, a drug used in medical abortions, was a product of Nazi Germany. Experts and historians have debunked that assertion.

Zacharia earned a law degree from Pepperdine University and worked at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013. She previously served as a judicial extern in federal court in Texas and as a law clerk at Advocates International, a Christian legal network.

While working in Beijing, Zacharia was involved with Compassion for Migrant Children, a nonprofit focused on migrant communities in China. Her appointment now places a staunch Trump loyalist at the center of the administration’s daily dealings with the press.