What the White House Press Secretary Does—and Who Katie Zacharia Is

What does the White House press secretary do?

The press secretary is a senior White House official who speaks for the executive branch, particularly about the president, senior officials and government policies. ⁵ The role is highly public: it includes regular on-camera briefings with reporters, according to reporting on Zacharia’s possible appointment. ¹

In practical terms, the job puts one person in front of reporters who ask questions about the administration’s actions and position. The press secretary’s answers are a prominent way the White House communicates with the public and the news media. The sources describe the role and its visibility, but do not provide a full list of the job’s duties or its formal authority.

Who is Katie Zacharia?

Zacharia is a lawyer and conservative commentator. She has worked as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, and as general counsel for Fix California, a conservative activist organisation founded by Richard Grenell. ²

She also briefly worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. CNBC’s account, drawing on her LinkedIn profile, says she finished a two-month stint there in March; the New York Post describes her time at the department as about three months. ¹² The accounts therefore differ slightly on the length of that job.

Has Katie Zacharia officially accepted the job?

The reporting says the White House offered Zacharia the position and selected her as its pick, but it does not confirm that she accepted. CNBC reported that whether she would take the role was not immediately clear. ² ABC also reported that she had been offered the job and had not immediately responded to a request for comment. ⁴

That distinction matters: an offer or selection is not the same as a confirmed start in the job. As of the reports dated October 9, 2026, the available information leaves her acceptance unresolved. ¹²⁴

Who would Zacharia replace?

If she takes the position, Zacharia would succeed Karoline Leavitt. Reports say Leavitt left the press secretary role in August to focus on her family after the birth of her second child. ¹²⁴

The sources agree on the basic sequence: Leavitt left, and the White House offered Zacharia the role. They do not establish a confirmed date for Zacharia to begin or describe any formal transition arrangements.

What is known about Zacharia’s background and departure from DHS?

The New York Post reported that Zacharia left the Department of Homeland Security after Markwayne Mullin took over as secretary in March, and that she cited the long commute from California as a strain on her family. ¹ CNBC’s report also places her DHS work in a brief period ending in March. ²

The reports give different descriptions of the length of her DHS service, so it is safest to describe it as brief rather than assign an exact duration. ¹² The sources also identify her subsequent communications work at Trump Media and her role at Fix California, but offer limited detail about her responsibilities in those jobs. ¹²