Katie Zacharia offered White House press secretary post to succeed Karoline Leavitt

The White House has offered the post of press secretary to Katie Zacharia, a lawyer and conservative commentator who works for Trump Media & Technology Group, a White House official confirmed to CNBC on Friday. The official said on condition of anonymity that Zacharia, a self-described "hardline Trump supporter," had been offered the role, and that it was not immediately clear whether she had accepted. CBS News and The Guardian US also reported that it was not clear whether she had accepted the offer, while Bloomberg and Newsweek described her as appointed and NBC News said she is expected to be named. The New York Times first reported the pick. [ 2 , 5 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 15 ]

If she takes the job, Zacharia will succeed Karoline Leavitt, who left the administration in late August after giving birth to her second child. Fox News announced this week that it had hired Leavitt as an on-air contributor; CNBC reported she will join in November. CBS News said the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room has not hosted a briefing since Sept. 3, when Vice President JD Vance addressed reporters and took questions. [ 5 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 18 ]

CNN reported, citing multiple White House officials, that President Donald Trump selected Zacharia after calling a number of close allies and advisers in recent days, including Leavitt, to seek their opinion of her, and that he sought Leavitt's counsel before making a final decision. According to CNN, Zacharia was in the Oval Office with Trump earlier Friday morning. Her selection came about quickly: as of last week she was not being considered for the role, a person familiar told CNN. Throughout the search to replace Leavitt, CNN said, the White House struggled with higher-profile names, several of whom had previously criticized Trump, and senior officials repeatedly narrowed down the list only to find that candidates had said something negative about the president. [ 8 ]

Zacharia has worked since June as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media, which runs Truth Social, according to her LinkedIn profile. Before that she completed a two-month stint at the Department of Homeland Security, where she served as a spokesperson; CNBC said the stint ended in March, and The Hill said she was also a deputy assistant secretary there. She has also served as general counsel, or legal adviser, for Fix California, a conservative group founded by Richard Grenell, Trump's special presidential envoy for special missions. CNN reported that she first came to Washington as an intern for the Republican National Committee in 2006. [ 5 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 17 ]

Zacharia is a frequent guest on conservative outlets including Fox News and Newsmax, and NBC News said she often defends the Trump administration on her X account. She lives in California and earned her law degree from Pepperdine University. CNN reported she commuted between California and Washington while at DHS and told a friend the commute was not sustainable, according to a source familiar with the matter. Earlier this year, CBS News said, she wrote an op-ed for the New York Post about being asked to stop wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat at her local gym. Zacharia had not publicly commented as of CBS News's report. [ 8 , 10 , 12 ]

NBC News reported that Trump has recently complained that his accomplishments are being overshadowed ahead of the midterm elections because of poor public relations efforts. "We're doing a great job in running the country, but we're not doing a good job of public relations," he said at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, last week, according to NBC News. Trump has yet to say anything publicly about Zacharia's expected role, and her start date and other details have not been announced, NBC News said. The New York Post wrote that if she gets the position, it could upend the dynamics of Trump's inner circle. [ 3 , 10 ]