Katie Zakaria could be the new White House press secretary

Author, News Department

Place of work, BBC Russian Service

Published 3 minutes ago

Reading time: 2 min

Conservative political commentator Katie Zakaria has been offered the position of White House press secretary; This information was confirmed to the BBC by a representative of the American administration.

Zakaria, currently a communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, could become the president's sixth official spokesman during his two administrations.

She previously briefly served as press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Former White House press secretary Caroline Levitt, who left her post in August, was reported this week to be joining Fox News.

42-year-old Kathy Zakaria often appears on the conservative TV channels Newsmax and Fox News and is actively involved in the political activities of the Republican Party.

In particular, in 2006, when George W. Bush was US President, she interned at the Republican National Committee and the White House Office of Political Affairs.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she has served as a senior communications adviser at Trump's media company and Truth Social since June. She worked at the Department of Homeland Security for only a short time - from February to March of this year.

Zakaria has long been a vocal defender of President Trump and his administration's policies.

In a June interview with the BBC, she took issue with criticism of Trump for holding a UFC mixed martial arts fight at the White House, saying the UFC's principles are "the very principles on which our constitutional republic was founded."

“It’s about not stopping the fight until the very end,” she said. “I think there is no better embodiment of the American spirit than a good UFC fight.”

Zakaria is a lawyer trained at Pepperdine University in California; she also served as general counsel for Fix California, a conservative nonprofit founded by Trump ally and current Special Envoy to the President Ric Grenell. In 2011, she worked as a lawyer in a Beijing law firm for almost two years.

As BBC correspondents note, the work of the White House press secretary is not limited to speaking at briefings: it also includes building difficult relationships with the press, coordinating actions with other departments of the administration and advising the president on interaction with the media. In addition, the press secretary manages the apparatus, which receives a huge number of requests and requests every day.

When Levitt left that post, declaring a desire to spend more time with her family, Trump called her one of his “most trusted assistants.”

Last Monday, Fox News Media CEO Susan Scott said Levitt would work as a commentator on Fox News Channel starting November 1 and appear on various programs.

“Caroline's experience working directly in the White House and on the presidential campaign trail gives her a deep understanding of the current political environment,” Scott said.

“I look forward to sharing with millions of Fox viewers across multiple platforms my unique perspective, informed by my experience as White House Press Secretary and the energy and authenticity that characterized my tenure,” Levitt said in a statement.

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