PoliticsDonald Trump Taps Young Blonde Aide Katie Zacharia as White House Press Secretary After Karoline Leavitt's Exit
Katie Zacharia will replace Karoline Leavitt after she stepped down from her role as White House press secretary.
Oct. 9 2026, Published 4:24 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump will have a new person serving behind the podium in the White House briefing room. According to The New York Times on Friday, October 9, conservative commentator Katie Zacharia has been picked for the role of press secretary.
The young, blonde aide's appointment comes after Karoline Leavitt resigned in August in order to spend more time with her family. Zacharia is no stranger to the spotlight in conservative media.
Zacharia is part of Trump MAGA inner world.
Who Is Katie Zacharia?
Katie Zacharia praised Donald Trump in an IG post.
Zacharia is an attorney and political strategist based in California and is a figure well known to viewers of conservative television, having appeared on Fox News and Newsmax.
She has worked for Fix California, the conservative organization set up by Richard Grenell, a long-time ally of Trump. Her political experience also extends back to the George W. Bush administration.
Zacharia went to Pepperdine University, where she obtained both her undergraduate degree and her law degree. She also interned with the Republican National Committee and worked in the White House Office of Political Affairs during Bush's presidency.
Her Brief Stint at Homeland Security
Katie Zacharia worked under former U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Noem.
This year, Zacharia became a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs in the Department of Homeland Security under then-Secretary Kristi Noem.
When announcing the appointment in February, Zacharia stated that she was "honored and proud" to be serving Trump and Noem and committed herself to "continuing to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again!"
She was in the position for only a short time, it seems. According to the New York Post, she left after about three months because of the difficulty of commuting from California and the strain this placed on her family.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Ties to Powerful Trump Allies
Katie Zacharia is linked to powerful figures in the White House.
Zacharia's connections will make her arrival at the White House more than just a matter for the daily press briefings from a political point of view.
As stated by the New York Post, she was closely aligned with Noem and Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to Trump, while she was at DHS. She also has long-standing connections with Grenell, whose organization she helped to represent.
The newspaper states that there have been tensions between Grenell and Lewandowski and the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles. It is not clear whether those relationships would have an impact on Zacharia's possible appointment.
Karoline Leavitt's Next Chapter
Katie Zacharia will draw comparisons to Karoline Leavitt, who left her role to spend more time with her kids.
When she was 27, she became the youngest person in history to hold the position of White House press secretary, and she officially finished her term on August 27.
On October 5, Fox News announced that Leavitt would be joining the network as a contributor starting November 1, to provide political commentary and analysis.
Leavitt stated in her announcement that she was looking forward to bringing to the Fox viewers the "same energy and candor" which had characterized her period at the White House.
At the same time, the NYT stated on Friday, citing two sources, said that a White House official had chosen Zacharia to take on Leavitt's former position. Her start date is yet to be confirmed.
