President Donald Trump on Friday announced that California attorney and conservative commentator Katie Zachariawill become the next White House press secretary, elevating a Southern California-educated lawyer with ties to a prominent California political organization into one of the administration's most visible roles.
Trump announced the appointment in a Truth Social post, calling Zacharia a "loyal and brilliant supporter" and saying he was confident she would "deliver strong results" as the administration's chief spokesperson. She succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who left the position at the end of August after serving as the White House's public face.
Here's what to know about Zacharia and the role of the White House press secretary.
California roots helped shape Zacharia's rise
While Zacharia
has become a familiar defender of Trump's agenda on conservative television networks, her background is closely tied to California.
Zacharia attended Pepperdine University's Seaver College and later earned her law degree from Pepperdine's Caruso School of Law in Malibu. She is also the general counsel for Fix California, a conservative advocacy group focused on California politics and government reform.
According to Trump and public biographies, Zacharia previously worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, served in the White House Office of Political Affairs, and spent several years in China, including work as outside counsel for the World Bank.
She currently serves as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social.
In recent months, Zacharia has frequently appeared on Fox News, Fox Business, Newsmax, and CNN, where she has defended the president's economic policies and broader political agenda.
Who is Ric Grenell and what are his California connections?
One of Zacharia's most notable California ties comes through her work with Fix California, an organization Ric Grenell founded.
Grenell is a longtime Republican strategist who served as acting director of national intelligence during Trump's first administration and now serves as Trump's special missions envoy. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential California Republicans in Trump's orbit.
Grenell also has deep ties to the Coachella Valley. He has lived in Palm Springs and become one of the region's most prominent Republican political figures, frequently hosting political and diplomatic events in the desert city. Palm Springs has served as a home base for Grenell's California political activity, including efforts to build support for conservative candidates and policy initiatives through organizations such as Fix California.
Fix California launched as part of broader efforts to expand Republican influence in the heavily Democratic state, focusing on issues such as public safety, government accountability, and economic policy.
As the group's general counsel, Zacharia was part of a political operation closely linked to both Grenell's California network and Trump's inner circle, adding another California connection as she steps into one of the administration's highest-profile communications jobs.
A high-profile job in Trump's White House
The White House press secretary serves as the administration's chief spokesperson, leads daily press briefings, responds to breaking developments, and helps shape the president's public message.
The role carries outsized visibility under Trump, who closely monitors media coverage and frequently engages directly with reporters and news organizations.
Zacharia will enter the position as one of the administration's most prominent public-facing officials and the latest in a string of women to hold the post. If confirmed as announced, she would be the seventh consecutive woman to serve as White House press secretary.
Trump praised Zacharia's media skills and campaign experience in his announcement, highlighting her involvement in Republican political efforts and her work communicating administration priorities.
"I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary," Trump wrote.
Contributing: Joey Garrison
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California attorney Katie Zacharia named White House press secretary
