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By Newsmax Wires    |   Sunday, 11 October 2026 09:20 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Katie Zacharia will begin serving as White House press secretary Monday, Columbus Day, and hold her first news conference Tuesday morning.

“I am pleased to announce that Katie Zacharia will be beginning her term as Press Secretary tomorrow, Columbus Day, and will be doing an introductory News Conference on Tuesday at 9:30 A.M. from the Press Briefing Room in the White House,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning, and will do a fantastic job!”

Zacharia succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who recently left the White House and then became a Fox News contributor. Trump also praised Leavitt in a separate post.

“I just want to pay my respect and thanks to Karoline Leavitt for the fantastic job she has done as White House Press Secretary,” he wrote. “Could not have been better!”

Newsmax confirmed Friday that the administration had offered Zacharia the position.

A vocal Trump supporter and frequent guest on Newsmax and Fox News, Zacharia works for Fix California, an organization led by longtime Trump ally Richard Grenell that promotes conservative policies in the state.

She served about three months as a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson in early 2026 under then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and left after Markwayne Mullin took over the department.

During her tenure, Zacharia reportedly developed close relationships with Noem and her senior adviser, Corey Lewandowski.

Zacharia, a mother of four, told Just the News that frequent travel between California and Washington had taken a toll on her family and contributed to her decision to leave DHS.

Zacharia thanked Trump for selecting her in a post on X.

“Thank you to President Trump for the distinguished privilege of serving as White House Press Secretary,” she wrote.

“Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime. President Trump has shown America that we can be great again, and he works to effectuate that greatness every single day,” she continued.

Zacharia said she would focus on highlighting the administration’s accomplishments.

“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,” she wrote.

“I look forward to working with the White House press corps, and with reporters across the country, to get that record out. Following the fabulous Karoline Leavitt is a high standard, and one worth meeting. God bless President Trump, and God bless America.”