Zacharia is best known for her frequent appearances defending the administration’s policies on Fox News, CNN, Newsmax, One America News and other outlets. She told CNN in April — around the time she left DHS — that she’s a “huge fan of ICE and a big fan of the Border Patrol.”

In his announcement, Trump said that Zacharia was “involved in my Campaigns, assisting in key Swing States.” She wrote in a February New York Post column that she did “hard work helping flip Michigan red in Dearborn” in 2024. 

Zacharia is a California native and self-described “lifelong conservative” who holds both a law degree and a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu. She first came to Washington in 2006 to intern for the Republican National Committee while George W. Bush was president. She lives in California. 

Citing a source familiar with internal White House discussions, CNN reported on Friday that “Zacharia’s selection came about quickly” and that “she was not being considered for the role” as of “last week.” CNN also reported that “on multiple occasions, senior officials had narrowed down the list” of possible press secretaries “only to find that candidates had said something negative about the president, disqualifying them from the position.”