Who Katie Zacharia? Trump’s new press secretary that replaced Karoline Leavitt

President Donald Trump has selected Katie Zacharia, a conservative activist and commentator, to serve as the next White House press secretary.An administration official confirmed the pick, which was first reported by The New York Times, to The Independent on Friday.Trump himself later made the selection official in a Truth Social post, writing that it was his “great honor” to have named Zacharia to the role. “She was previously involved in my Campaigns, assisting in key Swing States, where we won 7 out of 7. She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA,” he said. “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.”Katie Zacharia (pictured at the Nashville premiere of 'David' with her movie-producer husband, Tyler Zacharia, last year) is expected to be the next White House press secretary (Getty)Zacharia will fill a role that has been vacant since August, when former press secretary Karoline Leavitt resigned to spend more time with her two young children shortly after giving birth to her infant daughter. A California native, Zacharia’s LinkedIn page lists her as currently working for the president’s Trump Media and Technology Group as a communications adviser. She also spent roughly a month working at the Department of Homeland Security as a spokesperson earlier this year.Unlike Leavitt, who worked for Trump almost continuously since the last year of his first term, Zacharia has a history in GOP politics that predates the 47th president’s entry into the presidential arena. She is a graduate of Pepperdine University, where she earned both undergraduate and law degrees, and she spent time in the White House as an intern during the George W. Bush administration. Zacharia is also a longtime ally of Trump loyalist Ric Grenell and has spent time as a legal adviser for his Fix California group. A longtime conservative commentator who is comfortable on television and in print, she penned an op-ed for The New York Post earlier this year in which she called Trump “the greatest president in U.S. history.”Zacharia has been married since 2011 to Tyler Zacharia, a film producer whose work includes The Irishman and Roofman. She and her husband have four children.News of her hire as Leavitt’s successor — Trump’s sixth White House press secretary — comes after a lengthy vacancy in the position following Leavitt’s last day in August.At the time, Leavitt had only held one briefing since returning from maternity leave, and in announcing her departure she’d said she felt she could not “be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary.”Since then, the White House has only held a handful of briefings for the press, with two conducted by Vice President JD Vance and one by Attorney General Todd Blanche.