Trump names Katie Zacharia White House press secretary, replacing Karoline Leavitt

US President Donald Trump has handed the post of White House chief spokesperson, and the running of its communications, to a lawyer he trusts, in his second term. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said lawyer, media adviser and conservative thinker Katie Zacharia has been made the new White House press secretary.

Praising Zacharia, Trump said she had been extremely loyal and honest from the start and was a true supporter of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. He also said her work so far had been spotless and that he was confident she would communicate very effectively with the White House press corps.

Zacharia is an experienced lawyer and political analyst. She has made an important contribution as legal adviser and communications adviser in Trump's presidential election campaign and in his media company. Until now she was working as senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the company that runs Trump's platform Truth Social.

Earlier, Zacharia served as spokesperson at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She worked under Secretary Kristi Noem at the department, which oversees the enforcement of immigration laws. She has also worked with a conservative group called Fix California. In the Republican Party she is known as a forceful and aggressive speaker.

Zacharia will replace Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt, who played an important role in the Trump administration, resigned from her post in August for personal reasons. Trump has always praised Leavitt's work. At a press conference, referring to the speed at which Leavitt speaks, Trump had said that when she speaks her lips move as fast as a machine gun. The remark was widely discussed on social media.

After the appointment, Zacharia expressed her happiness on social media and thanked Trump. She wrote that the honour of serving as White House press secretary was a great privilege for her. According to her, serving President Trump and the American people at this important milestone of America's 250 years is the greatest honour of her life. She also wrote that the work ahead is to keep delivering strong results for the country and to take the administration's major achievements to the American people. She said she is eager to work with the White House press corps and reporters across the country. Following Karoline Leavitt in the post, she added, sets a high standard that must be lived up to.