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President Donald Trump has hired conservative commentator Katie Zacharia to replace Karoline Leavitt as his next press secretary.

The 41-year-old mother of four, who briefly worked under Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Security, has been tapped to take on the job, the Daily Beast has confirmed.

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The move comes almost two months after Leavitt quit the White House in August, leaving the president without one of his most effective defenders months before November’s midterm elections.

Several names had initially been floated as possible replacements, including MAGA mouthpiece Scott Jennings; Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba; former Trump campaign spokesperson Jason Miller; and Leavitt’s Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.

But while Zacharia’s elevation surprised some in Washington, she is no stranger to MAGAworld, frequently appearing on conservative platforms to promote the Trump administration’s agenda.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she is currently a communications adviser to Trump Media and Technology Group, which runs Truth Social.

But her political résumé stretches back to an internship at the Republican National Committee, later serving as its press secretary in 2024, and a stint in the George W. Bush White House’s Office of Political Affairs.

She also briefly served as a spokeswoman for then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, working alongside Corey Lewandowski, Noem’s influential adviser.

She spent roughly three months at DHS before leaving earlier this year, reportedly over fears that her ties to Lewandowski could sink her in MAGAworld.

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Long before her MAGA transformation, Zacharia lived in Beijing, China, from 2011 to 2013, with her husband, Tyler.

During her time in China, she worked as a corporate lawyer, but also as a fundraising manager at Compassion for Migrant Children.

The organization describes itself as “a collaborative effort to provide a framework within which organizations, individuals, and companies can express their care for children of migrant workers.”

In 2022, she also called for China to “free the Uyghurs,” an oppressed Muslim group residing in Northwest China.

These days, Zacharia posts more often about her stints on Fox News than human rights abuses in China.

One prominent post on her Instagram, dated January 3, features her beaming next to the president, with the caption: “The man who defies all odds and norms—who actually gets stuff* done—@realdonaldtrump@potus. God Bless America.”

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Asked on a recent podcast how she juggles the demands of work and travel with four children under the age of 11, Zacharia said the secret was bringing them with her, when possible.

“I integrate them into my meetings if I can. I bring them to work lunches or work dinners, and instead of, you know, arguing with a kid about behavior, the expectation is, ‘This is a work lunch, and your behavior will rise up to the level that is expected,” she told Shirin Yadegar, CEO of LAMOMMAGAZINE.com.

But Zacharia approaches the job with Trump facing serious political headwinds less than a month before the midterms.

His approval rating has fallen to record lows, thanks to soaring costs and an Iran war with no end in sight, giving the White House a challenge that no amount of combative messaging can easily fix.

Leavitt announced her departure on August 12, saying she wanted to devote more time to her son, Niko, 2, and 3-month-old daughter Viviana, whom she shares with real estate developer Nicholas Riccio, 60.

Zacharia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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