Katie Zacharia selected to be next White House press secretary

Conservative commentator Katie Zacharia has been selected as US President Donald Trump’s next press secretary.

Trump confirmed Zacharia’s selection in a social media post on Friday, calling the California native a “devoted fan and member of MAGA”.

“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,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

In a post praising Trump for selecting her, Zacharia said it was the “honor of a lifetime” to be named to the role.

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

Zacharia’s selection comes as Trump has launched an unprecedented effort to restrict US media outlets’ access to his administration and the White House.

A US federal judge on Thursday temporarily extended his block on Trump’s order last month that barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. The judge said the decision would be revisited next week.

Zacharia, according to her LinkedIn profile, is a senior communications adviser to Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates the president’s social media platform Truth Social. Her profile also states she was previously employed as a commentator for conservative US media outlets, including Newsmax and Fox News, before joining the Trump administration in February 2026 as an official at the US Department of Homeland Security.

Zachariah first came to Washington in 2006, when she held intern roles at the Republican National Committee and in the White House under former US President George W Bush, the profile says.

Earlier on Friday, a White House source told Al Jazeera the position had “been offered” to Zacharia.

The White House press secretary role has been vacant since August, when its previous holder, Karoline Leavitt, resigned to spend more time with her family.