Donald Trump Calls White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia a 'Devoted Fan' as He Gushes Over His New Hire in Eyebrow-Raising Post

President Donald Trump is very pleased with his replacement for former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and said so in a gushing Truth Social screed on Sunday, October 11.

On Friday, October 9, Trump officially named Katie Zacharia, 41, as the new White House press secretary.

In a Sunday Truth Social post, Trump praised Zacharia, calling her a "loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning," and adding that she has an "unblemished record of support" and is a "devoted fan and member of MAGA!"

“Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning, and will do a fantastic job!” Trump exclaimed.

Zacharia proudly shared Trump’s post on her X account, writing, “Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime.”

Media outlets like The Daily Beast characterized the praise's framing as an "eyebrow-raising" or "cringeworthy thirst post" ahead of her official start.

Zacharia took over the role officially on Monday, October 12, with her first formal press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

The 41-year-old most recently served as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social.

She previously held positions as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.

Zacharia is a conservative commentator who has regularly appeared on Fox News and Newsmax.

She is an attorney and a graduate of Pepperdine University and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, and she is married to an entertainment executive; they have four children.

“Before her new White House appointment, Zacharia has a history of peddling bizarre claims, calling Democrats pedophiles on her social media, as well as sharing the Pizzagate conspiracy theory,” noted The Daily Beast. “In 2022, Zacharia posted a link to a story about Timothèe Chalamet’s movie Bones and All with the caption, ‘The radical left Hollywood elitists are sick pedo, cannibals. Change my mind.’”

"Zacharia repeatedly used Truth Social to promote Pizzagate and other fringe conspiracy theories. Pizzagate, which originated in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign, is the unfounded conspiracy that prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta, were involved in a child s-- trafficking ring," wrote journalist Judd Legum in his "Popular Information" Substack.

She also posted, “Democrats want to mask and r--- your children. That’s their satanic platform.”

According to The Bulwark, Zacharia tried to scrub her social media of several problematic posts that included false vaccine conspiracies, one suggesting Trump, 80, run for a third term, and another calling on the government to invade California.

She also claimed the medication abortion drug contains "the same chemicals" used in N--- extermination camps, according to The New Republic.

On Saturday, October 10, Zacharia appeared on Fox News, where she gushed about the White House ballroom, saying, “The building is so fast — he is ahead of schedule, under budget, and it’s going to be amazing, and just to see this vision he has for building, but also for America and the greatness that America has and has always had, and that he’s bringing back, I can’t wait to work for President Trump on Monday.”

Zacharia fills a vacancy left by Leavitt, 29, who abruptly stepped down in August to spend more time with her family. Leavitt has since become a Fox News contributor.

The transition comes at a critical time for the administration's public messaging, just weeks before the November midterm elections.