Donald Trump says "I am pleased to announce" Katie Zacharia will begin as secretary on Columbus Day
“I am pleased to announce that Katie Zacharia will be beginning her term as Press Secretary tomorrow, Columbus Day, and will be doing an introductory News Conference on Tuesday at 9:30 A.M. from the Press Briefing Room in the White House. Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning, and will do a fantastic job!”
Reported October 12, 2026 by rawstory.com. Checked word for word against that report.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump used his Truth Social account to reveal that Katie Zacharia will assume the role of White House press secretary beginning the next day, which coincides with the federal holiday honoring Christopher Columbus, and that she will hold her first briefing on Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. in the West Wing. Analysts at the betting platform Kalshi noted that Zacharia was considered highly unlikely to be chosen, with odds below one percent, and observed that a handful of users had placed modest wagers on her appointment, prompting the firm to voice concerns about possible misuse of non‑public information. Kalshi’s spokesperson linked the situation to earlier investigations of alleged market abuse involving members of the Trump administration, citing a soldier’s conviction for trading on classified data and a former teleprompter operator’s bets on presidential remarks.
- rawstory.com ↗︎12 OCT 2026