She once described Donald Trump as the "greatest political athlete of all time," comparing him to sporting legends and history's greatest conquerors. Now Katie Zacharia, a California lawyer and conservative commentator who has repeatedly praised the president in glowing terms, is set to take over one of Washington's most visible jobs.
President Donald Trump officially announced Friday that Zacharia will become the new White House press secretary, ending a nearly two-month vacancy following the departure of Karoline Leavitt.
Zacharia, a devoted supporter of Trump's Make America Great Again movement, has called him "the unparalleled titan of American politics" and signed one of her published letters to the president "Your biggest fan in California." She has also defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant and criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In announcing her appointment, Trump praised Zacharia's "unblemished record of support," describing her as a "loyal and brilliant supporter" and emphasizing her longstanding ties to the MAGA movement.
The president consulted several close advisers before making his decision, including Leavitt, who left the administration at the end of August after giving birth to her second child. Other names floated as potential replacements included conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings, Trump's former attorney Alina Habba and deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, a former beauty queen.
The position had remained vacant for nearly two months, with the White House briefing room largely silent. The last formal briefing there was held on September 3, when Vice President JD Vance addressed reporters.
Zacharia is a mother of four who lives in Westlake Village, California. She earned both her undergraduate degree and law degree from Pepperdine University, a private Christian-affiliated institution overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Malibu.
Since June, she has served as a senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Trump's Truth Social platform.
Katie Zacharia
Outside Trump's political circle, Zacharia remains relatively unfamiliar to much of the American public. But viewers of Fox News and Newsmax have seen her frequently over the past year, usually defending the president and criticizing Democrats, immigration policies she opposes and mainstream media coverage.
Although she has described herself as a Fox News commentator, the network has clarified that she appeared as a guest rather than being employed by it.
Trump appears to have chosen Zacharia much as he has selected other prominent communications figures: after watching her television appearances.
Over the summer, he sent her congratulatory messages after seeing her on television. In recent weeks, she visited the White House twice and met with the president. One person familiar with the selection process described her as someone who looked as though she had come "straight out of central casting."
Her selection also reflects the importance Trump places on personal loyalty. Zacharia has demonstrated hers not only in television appearances but also in lengthy articles praising his leadership and political achievements.
In a November 2025 essay titled "The Greatest Political Athlete of All Time: President Donald J. Trump," published in the California Globe, Zacharia compared the president's endurance and political instincts to those of Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods.
She also invoked historical figures including Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon and Winston Churchill, presenting Trump as a leader whose political achievements would be remembered for generations.
In another essay, published the following month, she described him as an unparalleled political figure who had survived repeated attacks and emerged stronger. She ended the letter with an unmistakably personal declaration: "Your biggest fan in California."
Defended Netanyahu, criticized Mamdani
Zacharia's political positions are closely aligned with Trump's, including on several issues of particular interest to Israel.
Although she has no extensive record of involvement in Middle Eastern affairs, the statements she has made on the subject suggest positions generally favorable to Israel's current leadership.
She has defended Netanyahu following the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant against him, expressed hostility toward Iran and praised Trump's diplomacy and dealmaking in the Middle East.
In July, she also criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his comments about the possibility of arresting Netanyahu if he visited the city.
During an appearance on Fox News, Zacharia accused Mamdani of acting as though he governed an independent country, saying he "thinks he is running a sovereign nation."
While she is not considered a Middle East policy specialist, those positions suggest that senior Israeli officials are unlikely to encounter an unsympathetic voice in the White House briefing room.
Zacharia also played a role in Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, working to mobilize Arab American voters in Dearborn, Michigan, a city with a large Arab American population in a crucial battleground state.
Trump has credited her efforts there as contributing to his election victory.
Her appointment marks her second attempt to establish herself within the current administration.
In February, Zacharia was appointed spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, but she left the position after approximately six weeks.
She said at the time that frequent travel between California and Washington had placed too great a strain on her family, particularly her four children, whom she sometimes brings to meals and work-related meetings when circumstances permit.
Other reports, however, suggested that her departure may have involved internal political tensions. Her name reportedly appeared on a list of officials associated with former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem who had fallen out of favor, with the list said to have been reviewed by senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
Zacharia maintained that family considerations were behind her decision to leave.
An outspoken opponent of abortion
Beyond her involvement in election campaigns and advocacy for stricter voter identification requirements, Zacharia has been particularly active in the anti-abortion movement.
Her position is deeply personal.
Zacharia has said she was adopted at birth after her biological mother, then just 19 years old, had scheduled an abortion. According to her account, a Christian counselor persuaded her mother to reconsider at the last moment.
She has since become involved with the White Rose Resistance, an anti-abortion organization, and has drawn criticism for controversial statements about abortion medication.
In one particularly contentious claim, she connected a pharmaceutical company associated with abortion medication to the manufacturer of Zyklon B, the poison used in Nazi extermination camps. She suggested that the same chemicals were involved, a claim that is scientifically and historically misleading.
Despite the Hebrew-sounding surname, Zacharia is a devout Christian.
She is married to Tyler Zacharia, a former investment professional who moved into film production and the entertainment industry, including projects with religious themes.
Her husband has been involved in major Hollywood productions, including Martin Scorsese's "Silence," and works as an executive in the Christian film industry.
His company's projects have included the biblical animated film "David," which features Israeli singer Miri Mesika among its voice performers.
Zacharia herself is an enthusiastic weightlifter and kickboxer, interests that have occasionally drawn her into political confrontations far beyond the gym.
Earlier this year, she described an incident at her California kickboxing gym in which other participants complained about a red "Team Trump 2024" cap she wore during classes.
After the gym's owner asked her to stop wearing the cap, Zacharia published an article in the New York Post accusing the establishment of giving in to pressure from Trump's opponents.
"I responded that I would never take my Trump hat off to appease the left," she wrote.
The article attracted national attention and further cemented her reputation as a vocal supporter of the president who is willing to turn even everyday disputes into public political confrontations.
Now, after years of defending Trump on television, in opinion columns and even at the gym, Zacharia is preparing to take that loyalty to the White House podium, where she will become one of the most prominent public voices of his administration.