Katie Zacharia to Succeed Leavitt as White House Press Secretary

Conservative commentator Katie Zacharia has been appointed as the new White House press secretary, according to a person familar with the matter.

Zacharia, who briefly worked at the Department of Homeland Security, replaces Karoline Leavitt, who had served as President Donald Trump’s lead spokesperson from the start of the second term.

The role of press secretary is one of the most high profile in any administration, serving as the daily mouthpiece for the president, and Zacharia would take on the position at a critical time for the White House with November’s midterm elections looming. Voters have soured on Trump’s handling of the economy and the Iran war, with the president struggling to find an exit strategy for the conflict.

Trump has long placed an importance on the role, closely scrutinizing the performance of past press secretaries. Leavitt earned a reputation for sparring forcefully with reporters in the White House briefing room and was seen as having a close relationship with Trump, who also takes an antagonistic approach to the press.