A ferocious defender of Trump’s agenda, Zacharia is well-placed for her new rolepublished at 14:17 BST
14:17 BST
Bernd Debusmann Jr
at the White House briefing room
I first encountered Katie Zacharia earlier this year, when I reached out to her after seeing that she had been at Mar-a-Lago during one of the trips I’d taken there with President Trump.
I’ve since exchanged messages with her relatively frequently, and have, on occasion, reached out to her for her views on things happening in Trump’s orbit and in the administration.
In an odd coincidence, I last spoke on the phone with her last Thursday – the day before she was announced as the new White House press secretary.
She is extremely connected within the broader Maga world and knowledgeable about world affairs – particularly China, where she worked for a period – and media savvy, having already briefly served as spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and frequently appearing on Fox, CNN and other US networks.
That, however, is not all that this job entails. Perhaps the most important qualification that this job requires is loyalty to Donald Trump and his agenda.
In that regard, she is extremely well-placed, and even among those in Trump’s orbit she is known as someone who ferociously defends even his most controversial policies, at times doing so on panels alongside intense critics of his.
Unlike some of Trump’s other political allies – those whose views on the president have shifted throughout his now long political career – she has never wavered in her stances.