Trump made the announcement Friday afternoon in a post on his Truth Social platform, praising Zacharia for her loyalty, political experience and longstanding support for his administration.
“She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” Trump wrote, describing her as a devoted member of his Make America Great Again movement.
Speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn later Friday, before departing for a campaign rally in New York, Trump expressed confidence in Zacharia’s ability to handle the high-profile position.
“She’s going to be, I think, terrific,” the president said.
Trump also suggested that Zacharia already had a positive relationship with members of the White House press corps.
“She’s a friend of most of you. I know she likes people. She likes all of you. Actually, I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” he joked.
Reacting to her appointment in a post on X, Zacharia described the opportunity as “the honor of a lifetime” and pledged to communicate the administration’s policies and achievements to the American public.
She said her priority would be to highlight the administration’s accomplishments while maintaining working relationships with journalists covering the White House.
“The work ahead is to continue delivering strong results for our Country and communicating to the American people the major wins that this Administration is making every single day,” Zacharia wrote.
She added that she looked forward to working with the White House press corps and reporters nationwide.
Zacharia most recently served as senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has held that position since June.
Before joining the company, Zacharia worked in the Department of Homeland Security’s public affairs office, initially serving as deputy assistant secretary.
She later became a DHS spokesperson following the departure of Tricia McLaughlin and worked under Lauren Bis, who now serves as senior deputy White House press secretary.
Trump also credited Zacharia with assisting his previous election campaigns in key battleground states before joining his administration.
The appointment follows the departure of former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August after giving birth to her second child in May.
Trump did not announce when Zacharia would officially assume her new responsibilities.
As White House press secretary, Zacharia will serve as one of the administration’s principal public spokespersons, responsible for communicating presidential policies, addressing media inquiries and conducting White House press briefings.
Her appointment comes as the administration prepares for the November midterm elections, placing the new press secretary at the center of its public communications during a politically significant period.
