Who Is Katie Zacharia? The Anti-LGBTQ+ New White House Press Secretary Who Was Just Fired
Trump’s new White House press secretary is already drawing criticism, but her record on LGBTQ+ rights is raising even bigger red flags.
Update: Katie Zacharia was fired on Friday, October 16, 2026, after five days as press secretary.
President Donald Trump has a new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, who succeeds anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Karoline Leavitt, who left the post in August.
Leavitt was known to be combative with the news media during White House press briefings, and with Trump’s continued attacks on the press, the relationship between the administration and the press doesn’t seem likely to thaw under Zacharia.
She made a lack-luster splash, according to critics, on her first day on the job Tuesday.
“Her cadence was clunky, closer to that of a fourth grader reading school announcements over an intercom than a polished political communications professional. It’s clear she was never meant to be more than another blonde conservative placeholder on Fox News. The SNL spoof feels imminent,” The New Republic wrote.
Here’s a look at who exactly is the new White House press secretary.
Who is Katie Zacharia?
Zacharia has a law degree and is a mother of four, and she’s a far-right pundit from California.
She most recently worked as a communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, which is behind Truth Social.
Before those roles, she worked briefly for then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and has provided commentary on news networks like Fox News and Newsmax.
When she took the press secretary podium on Tuesday, she lavished the president with praise.
“I want to thank President Trump. For his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very. Long. time. I’m looking forward to working with each of you as well,” Zacharia said. “Especially as we are in the middle of the midterm blitz. With energy and excitement never seen before in the history of midterms—thanks to President Trump.”
Trump also seemingly enjoys her praise. He called her “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” on social media.
What’s Katie Zacharia’s Position on LGBTQ+ issues
Zacharia has a history of making anti-LGBTQ+ comments.
In September 2025, Zacharia said that “leftist transgender assailants” were responsible for “at least a dozen” mass school shootings, according to the Bulwark. Trans people are more likely to be victims of violence than the perpetrators.
On various appearances on Fox News, Zacharia spewed anti-trans comments, LGBTQ Nation reports. She specifically has targeted politicians who support trans participation in sports. This includes calling California’s Senate Bill 107 — a 2023 law establishing the state as a “sanctuary state” for transgender youth, their families, and their health care providers — as a “war against our children.”
CNN’s KFile found that in 2022 she reshared a post repeating the baseless conspiracy theory that Michelle Obama is trans, tied to a conspiracy theory about comedian Joan Rivers’ death.
Zacharia has also said that the abortion pill mifepristone was the same chemical used in Nazi Germany extermination camps during the Holocaust, the Bulwark reports. As the outlet notes: It’s not.
