U.S. President Donald Trump has named conservative commentator and former Homeland Security spokesperson Katie Zacharia as his next White House press secretary, a White House official confirmed Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.
She would replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the post at the end of August, and take over the podium roughly three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.
Trump announced the choice in a Truth Social post, according to a report carried by NewsChannel 9. “It is my great honor to have just appointed, as Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia,” he wrote, according to that report. He added that Zacharia “has an unblemished record of support.”
CNN, citing multiple White House officials, reported the selection on Friday, as did Agence France-Presse, which said an administration official could confirm that Zacharia had been offered the job. The New York Times first reported the offer, according to the NewsChannel 9 account. None of the reports gave a start date, and none said when she would give her first briefing.
Zacharia is a communications adviser to Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, according to the NewsChannel 9 report. It said she previously served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and has appeared as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax. CTV News, carrying the CNN report, described her as a conservative commentator who worked briefly at the department.
Zacharia thanked the president in a statement quoted in the same report. “Thank you to President Trump for the distinguished privilege of serving as White House Press Secretary,” she said. “Following the fabulous Karoline Leavitt is a high standard, and one worth meeting.”
Leavitt left the role at the end of August after giving birth to her second child, the NewsChannel 9 report said. It said she told the public she was stepping down to spend more time with her family, and that Trump described her as “fabulous” and said she will remain one of his top outside advisers. Those details come from a single report and Canada News Media has not independently confirmed them.
The press secretary is the president’s main public voice, running the daily White House briefing and relaying the administration’s positions on subjects from tariffs to the border. The job does not require Senate confirmation, so the appointment takes effect without a vote.
The appointment has no direct Canadian element, and no comment from the Canadian government was found. Ottawa and Canadian companies do, however, follow White House briefings closely for signals on trade and tariff policy.
What happens next depends on the White House. No swearing-in date has been announced, and the first briefing under Zacharia will show how she intends to handle the press corps in the final weeks of the campaign.
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Via CTV News (CNN), NewsChannel 9 and Gulf News (AFP). The Truth Social post itself was not read by Canada News Media.
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