President Trump has a new face behind the White House podium — and she’s already attracting plenty of attention.
On Friday, Trump announced that Katie Zacharia would replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the high-profile role in August. That makes Zacharia Trump’s sixth White House press secretary (but who’s counting?). In true Trump fashion, the president broke the news himself on Truth Social, calling it his “great honor” to give her the job. According to The Washington Post, Trump bypassed his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, in deciding to hire her.
Until now, Zacharia wasn’t exactly a household name. But the conservative commentator spent years building a profile as an outspoken Trump supporter — and reportedly making sure the president noticed. Now, after a rocky first turn behind the briefing room podium and amid mounting questions about her legal credentials, she’s in the spotlight.
Why is Katie Zacharia's first briefing getting so much attention?
Zacharia spent much of the 14-minute appearance reading from prepared remarks and repeatedly praising Trump.
“I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” Zacharia said of the president shortly after stepping up to the podium.
She also touted the crowds at his recent campaign rallies, declaring, “Attendance is at record highs as enthusiastic, hardworking Americans are lining up and packing arenas to support President Trump and Republicans.” (As you might recall, crowd size has long been a particularly sensitive subject for the president, dating back to his first administration.)
But it wasn't just what Zacharia did say that drew attention — but also what she didn't. She spent little time answering questions. After her opening remarks, she called on reporters from just three conservative-leaning outlets: Breitbart News, Fox News, and the Daily Mail. When a Fox News reporter asked whether the administration had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, she said she'd have to get back to him.
There was also an awkward slip when Zacharia was asked how she planned to balance the job with raising her four young children: She mistakenly referred to “my president” instead of “my husband” before correcting herself.
Her performance reportedly drew mixed reviews inside and around the White House, though Trump himself was pleased. “I thought she was very good,” he told reporters after the briefing.
Who is Katie Zacharia?
A self-described “lifelong conservative," Zacharia has worked in and around Republican politics for years. Most recently, she served as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social.
Earlier this year, Zacharia briefly served as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security under then-Secretary Kristi Noem. She left after about six weeks, citing the strain of traveling between Washington, D.C., and California, where her family is based.
Zacharia is married to film producer Tyler Zacharia, whose credits include The Irishman, Roofman, The Brink of War, and some religious projects with Angel Studios. The couple has four children. Now she plans to relocate her family to Washington, she confirmed during her first White House briefing.
How did she land the White House job?
Over the years, Zacharia has become one of Trump’s most enthusiastic public supporters, and she hasn’t been subtle about it.
A frequent conservative commentator on Newsmax, Fox News, and other networks, Zacharia has regularly defended Trump and his agenda. In an op-ed for the New York Post earlier this year, she went so far as to call Trump “the greatest president in U.S. history.”
That was hardly her only effusive praise. In a November 2025 essay, Zacharia dubbed Trump the “greatest political athlete of all time,” comparing him to sports legends including Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Muhammad Ali. The following month, she published another tribute to the president, signing it “Your biggest fan in California.”
But her television appearances really put her on Trump’s radar. The Washington Post reported that Trump sent Zacharia congratulatory text messages over the summer after watching her on TV. And Zacharia apparently knew how to get his attention: According to Politico, she kept close tabs on the president’s public schedule and Truth Social activity, timing some of her television appearances for when she thought he might be watching.
The strategy appears to have worked: Trump announced Zacharia as his new press secretary on Oct. 9, praising her as a “loyal and brilliant supporter” with an “unblemished record of support.” Now, one of his most vocal defenders on television is the person tasked with defending his administration from behind the podium at the White House briefing room.
Why are Zacharia's legal credentials facing scrutiny?
Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer, and Trump called her an attorney when announcing her appointment. But there's just one problem: No one seems able to verify whether she's actually licensed to practice law in the U.S.
According to The Washington Post, a review of public records found no evidence that Zacharia has been admitted to the bar in any U.S. state. The State Bar of California, where she lives, also confirmed that it has no record of her being licensed under either her married or maiden name, Black.
Zacharia earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pepperdine University in 2007, followed by a law degree from there in 2011. According to her LinkedIn profile, she later worked as an associate on the international practice team at the law firm Zhong Lun in Beijing from 2011 to 2013. She also served as general counsel for Fix California, an elections-focused nonprofit founded by Trump ally Richard Grenell, from 2024 to 2025.
But when a reporter asked her Tuesday where she passed the bar exam, she appeared to respond, "When I moved to China." That answer only raised more questions, since foreign nationals aren't eligible to take China's bar exam.
In a statement, Zacharia maintained that she had “practiced international transactional law, with all the appropriate credentials.” The White House, for its part, hasn’t offered any proof that she’s licensed to practice law in the U.S. That hasn’t stopped her from describing herself as a lawyer during appearances on Fox News or on her social media accounts.
Of course, earning a law degree doesn't automatically make someone a licensed attorney. And that’s more than just a technicality: Legal experts say presenting oneself as a lawyer without the necessary credentials can raise serious ethical and legal concerns. As University of Michigan law professor Leonard Niehoff told The Post, “Many, if not all, states have statutes that prohibit the unauthorized practice of law, which commonly includes falsely holding oneself out as a licensed attorney for purposes of monetary gain.”
Those questions have already prompted calls for an investigation. The Campaign for Accountability has filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate whether Zacharia improperly presented herself as a lawyer despite apparently not being licensed to practice law in any state.
