Katie Zacharia
Katie Zacharia, a Pepperdine-trained lawyer and former DHS spokesperson, became White House press secretary in October 2026 after Karoline Leavitt left.
Photo: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP.
The Truth Social Post of October 9
On Friday, October 9, 2026, President Donald Trump used Truth Social to name Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary. "It is my Great Honor to have just appointed, as Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia," the post began, as quoted by Fox News. Trump described her as a distinguished graduate of Pepperdine University and its law school and said she had helped his campaigns in key swing states.
She replaced Karoline Leavitt, who had held the job since January 2025. Leavitt announced her departure on August 12 and left on August 27, about six weeks before the announcement. At the time, Zacharia was a senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social.
The news services did not agree on her age. Fox News gave it as 41 and the South China Morning Post as 42. None of the sources reviewed for this article gives an exact birth date.
Zacharia answered on X: "Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime." Of her predecessor she wrote, "Following the fabulous Karoline Leavitt is a high standard, and one worth meeting."
Seaver College and Pepperdine Law
Zacharia studied political science at Pepperdine's Seaver College and graduated in 2007. She stayed at Pepperdine for law school and earned her JD from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011. The university's newsroom notes that she worked as a research assistant to law professor Jim Gash during law school and interned at the White House under President George W. Bush.
Pepperdine ran its own story on the appointment, under the headline "Pepperdine Alumna Katie Zacharia Named New White House Press Secretary." Trump's post had mentioned both of her Pepperdine degrees by name.
A Law Firm in Beijing
The South China Morning Post reported that Zacharia lived in Beijing, worked at a leading Chinese law firm, and held a communications role with a nonprofit that served the children of migrant workers. The paper's headline called her a "devoted fan" of Trump who speaks Chinese.
From Fix California to Fox News
Back in the United States, Zacharia worked as general counsel for Fix California, a nonprofit, according to the Pepperdine newsroom, which cites her professional profile for that role. She also became a regular conservative commentator on Fox News and Newsmax.
Trump Media and Technology Group later hired her as a senior communications adviser. The Associated Press described her in its headline on the appointment as a commentator "of his media company."
Six Weeks at Homeland Security
In mid-February 2026, Zacharia joined the Department of Homeland Security as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, following Tricia McLaughlin in the role. The job lasted only weeks. At the end of March she announced that she was leaving the department, and The Hill reported the exit. In her own statement she said she wanted to continue the work "in other capacities."
Columbus Day and the First Briefing
On Sunday, October 11, Trump posted again with a schedule. Zacharia would start as press secretary the next day, Columbus Day, and give "an introductory News Conference on Tuesday at 9:30 A.M. from the Press Briefing Room in the White House." He closed the post with: "Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning, and will do a fantastic job!"
The briefing was set for October 13, 2026. No financial disclosure for her as press secretary had been published in the sources reviewed here, so this article gives no net worth estimate.
Sources
- Trump names commentator Katie Zacharia of his media company as next White House press secretary
- Trump taps conservative commentator Katie Zacharia to replace Leavitt as press secretary
- Trump names Leavitt successor after weeks of speculation - and she's no stranger to MAGA
- Pepperdine Alumna Katie Zacharia Named New White House Press Secretary | Newsroom | Pepperdine University
- Katie Zacharia leaves DHS after weeks as spokesperson
- Trump's new spokeswoman is a 'devoted fan' who lived in Beijing and speaks Chinese | South China Morning Post
- New White House press secretary to hold first press conference this week
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