Katie Zacharia picked as White House press secretary

WASHINGTON — Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for President Donald Trump's Truth Social platform, has ​been offered the position of White House press secretary following Karoline Leavitt's departure from the role in August, a White House official said on Friday.

Zacharia ‌did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If she accepts the role, she would fill a ⁠critical position in the Trump administration ​before next month's midterm congressional elections.

The New ⁠York Times first reported the news.

The selection would put Zacharia at the center ‌of the White House's ‌public messaging operation in the final stretch before the elections, when Trump's ⁠agenda and his party's control of Congress ⁠will be put before voters.

Trump's approval rating fell to 32% — the lowest of his political career — as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living and the Iran war, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The selection of Zacharia underscores the close ties between Trump's administration and his broader political ‌and media operation. It comes after Trump Media unveiled ​in July that for a fee it would give banks and trading firms "the fastest" access to posts from influential Truth Social accounts, such as the president's, whose posts often move global markets.

Zacharia has worked as a senior communications adviser for Truth Social, the Republican president's social media platform, and the Trump Media & Technology Group since June, according to her LinkedIn page.

She briefly served as ​a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security before departing in March.

Zacharia, an attorney who frequently ‌appears on conservative ‌outlets Fox ⁠News and Newsmax, previously worked as a legal adviser for Fix California, a conservative group that aims to address what it described as "the left's stranglehold" on state politics. The group was founded by Richard Grenell, who has served as Trump's envoy to ‌Venezuela and the interim president ​and executive director of the Kennedy Center ‌in Washington.

Zacharia interned at the ⁠White House during ​President George W. Bush's administration.

Contributing: Bo Erickson

Related topics