White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who at 28 is the youngest person to hold the position, is one of President Donald Trump’s biggest and most controversial voices, describing Democrats as “terrorists,” making “your mother” jokes and organizing a list of White House “media criminals.” In August, Levitt announced her resignation, saying she wanted to focus on her family. In May, Levitt took a leave of absence for the birth of her daughter. She also has a two-year-old son.
Rumors swirled around her departure that it was due to a ruse by Trump on his way home from a NATO summit in Turkey in July, with the president reportedly holed up in a food truck and flying on a different plane – an Air Force C-32A, rather than the former Air Force One, as he claimed on social media. Those brought by Trump include aides to the president such as Natalie Harp, who courted Trump with love letters, valet Walt Nauta and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
On board the decoy plane that may have been blown up were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the White House press and others. Levitt announced his resignation just days after the Washington Post and The New York Times reported on Trump’s disappearance.
However, there is no evidence that she was on the road. However, it doesn’t appear that Leavitt will be a stay-at-home mom or traditional wife either, as it was announced in early October that she would be joining Fox News as an on-air contributor next month. For nearly two months, it’s been unclear who will replace Levitt in the White House, but perhaps unsurprisingly, he’s another favorite on Fox News and Newsmax.
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On Friday, Trump announced his new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, a 42-year-old conservative commentator and public relations liaison who frequently appears on Fox. Trump announced the news on his website, Truth Social, saying, “She has a perfect record of support and has been a loyal and wonderful supporter from the beginning. Likewise, she is a huge fan and member of MAGA! I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our country as the next White House Press Secretary because she is respected by and will do an excellent job working with the media, the American people, and my administration.”
Zakaria will now become a central figure in the Trump administration, which faces record low approval ratings, record high energy prices and a war with Iran ahead of the November midterm elections. CNN reported that the president consulted with Levitt before making the final decision and offering the position to Zakaria. She is married to film producer Tyler Zachariah and has four children. Zakaria most recently served as communications adviser to the Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social. Previously, Zakaria served as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security starting in February 2026, but resigned weeks later in March.
She was allegedly fired from the Department of Homeland Security due to her close relationship with Corey Lewandowski, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s chief of staff, with whom she allegedly had an affair. Derided as a “concentration camp Barbie,” Noem’s high-profile sieges of U.S. cities attracted negative media attention, particularly when two protesters, Renee Goode and Alex Pretty, were killed by federal ICE officers in Minneapolis. Noem has been subpoenaed by Congress over these and other scandals, including her alleged misuse of government funds on television ads and private luxury jets. She was later fired by Trump, reappointed as a special envoy for Shield of the Americas, and replaced by Markwayne Mullin, the current head of the Department of Homeland Security. Noem filed for divorce in late September.
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