By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, Oct 9 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has appointed Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his Truth Social platform, to serve as White House press secretary following Karoline Leavitt’s departure in August.
He said Zacharia has an “unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter.”
“I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The New York Times first reported the news of her appointment.
The selection would put Zacharia at the center of the White House’s public messaging operation in the final stretch before next month’s midterm elections, when Trump’s agenda and his party’s control of Congress will be put before voters.
Trump’s approval rating fell to 32% — the lowest of his political career — as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living and the Iran war, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The selection of Zacharia underscores the close ties between Trump’s administration and his broader political and media operation. It comes after Trump Media unveiled in July that for a fee it would give banks and trading firms “the fastest” access to posts from influential Truth Social accounts, such as the president’s, whose posts often move global markets.
Zacharia has worked as a senior communications adviser for Truth Social, the Republican president’s social media platform, and the Trump Media & Technology Group since June, according to her LinkedIn page.
She briefly served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security before departing in March.
Zacharia, an attorney who frequently appears on conservative outlets Fox News and Newsmax, previously worked as a legal adviser for Fix California, a conservative group that aims to address what it described as “the left’s stranglehold” on state politics. The group was founded by Richard Grenell, who has served as Trump’s envoy to Venezuela and the interim president and executive director of the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Zacharia interned at the White House during President George W. Bush’s administration.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Additional reporting by Bo Erickson; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Sanjeev Miglani)
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