With the appointment announced by the President himself, the role of Press Secretary is not only one of the most high-profile but also one he considers essential for getting his messages across.
Having already gained experience this year (2026) as spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Zacharia takes up her new duties at the White House as the campaign enters its final stretch ahead of the mid-term general elections, to be held on 3 November, in which the Republican Party could lose its current majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. These elections are therefore regarded as decisive in enabling Trump to undertake, without major obstacles from the legislature, actions that will have a decisive impact on both the immediate future of the United States and the rest of the world.
The new White House spokesperson had already gained experience as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax, the most-watched news channels in the country amongst the population considered to be the most conservative. Furthermore, she herself had circulated quite a few personal photos, particularly those in which she appeared alongside Trump, and in the captions of which she showered the president with praise: “The man who defies all predictions and all the rules” was one of the most frequent slogans.
Her involvement in the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement has been particularly appreciated by Trump, who also highlighted this aspect when announcing her appointment on Friday. Furthermore, in the president’s eyes, Katie Zacharia possesses other merits, such as having worked for him at the media company Trump Media and Technology Group – which, as its name suggests, is linked to Trump himself – from where she has posted numerous criticisms of the Democratic Party opposition on social media, including Truth Social.
Her CV also notes that she lived in China for two years, between 2011 and 2013, whilst working for a law firm, and that she is a member of the conservative organisation Fix California, founded by Richard Grenell, a close associate of Trump, particularly on issues and missions relating to Latin America.
In her new role, Katie Zacharia’s most high-profile task will be to chair White House press briefings, both in the usual briefing room and in the Oval Office, which involves managing Trump’s relationship with the media.
Although her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, had achieved greater diversity in terms of the media outlets and individuals granted access to the rotating pool of correspondents, she was unable to prevent Trump from barring three media outlets he considers hostile – CNN, MSNOW and Politico – from the White House. The three outlets secured the solidarity of the rest of the press corps, who refused to cover presidential news unless their colleagues were readmitted.
It was particularly significant that this stance was joined by outlets such as Fox News – a channel considered highly favourable to Trump – and one of whose most famous presenters, Pete Hegseth, is the current Secretary of War, the new title for the former Ministry of Defence.
A judge ordered the revocation of Trump’s ban on these media outlets, an order that has only been partially complied with; whilst they are once again permitted to enter the White House, they have not been granted the preferential access they previously enjoyed, either to the Oval Office or to Air Force One.
We shall see, then, how Katie Zacharia manages to ease the tense relations and mistrust between Trump and the media, without betraying her loyalty to the President, as expressed in her opening remarks: “Serving President Donald Trump and the American people in this crucial year of the 250th anniversary is the honour of my life.”