Trump picks commentator Katie Zacharia as next White House press secretary

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that he had appointed commentator Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary, succeeding Karoline Leavitt.

"Katie currently serves as Senior Communications Advisor to Truth Social (Trump Media & Technology Group), where she has been outstanding!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump also noted that "Katie previously served as Spokesperson and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security."

In his post, Trump also highlighted Zacharia's involvement in his political campaigns, saying she had helped his team in key swing states.

On Aug. 12, Trump announced that Leavitt would leave her position at the end of August.

In recent days, Trump called a number of his close allies and advisors to seek their opinion of Zacharia, CNN reported Friday, citing a person familiar with the discussions.