Katie Zacharia is Trump's sixth press secretary, two more than Clinton or Bush had
Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as White House press secretary on Tuesday, the sixth person in the job under Trump. The count is high against recent presidents, but all three tenures under a year came before Leavitt.
The Board Room · Leadership desk
Three of the four press secretaries before Karoline Leavitt served under a year. Sean Spicer's 182 days was the shortest tenure of Trump's press secretaries. Leavitt served about 19 months.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under-a-year tenures among the four before Leavitt | 3 tenures | 21 | |
| Spicer, shortest tenure | 182 days | 7 | |
| Leavitt's tenure, about | 19 months | 19 |
What happened
- Trump named Zacharia as Leavitt's successor in a Truth Social post on October 9.
- Zacharia was previously a senior communications advisor at Trump Media and Technology Group, which runs Truth Social.
- Sean Spicer's 182 days are the shortest tenure among Trump's press secretaries.
Why it matters
- What doesn't add up contradiction Business Insider calls several press secretaries per president normal, yet its own tally puts Trump above Obama, Clinton and Bush, so the total alone does not show instability.
- What it sets up precedent All three sub-year tenures came before Leavitt. Her roughly 19 months is the only completed second-term tenure, too small a sample to say the first-term churn has carried over.
- What it limits constraint Briefing practice has changed with each holder, from no traditional briefings under Grisham to their return under McEnany, so the format Zacharia keeps is her own to set.
Six is the highest count in the comparison Business Insider offers. It is twice Obama's three [20] and two more than the four that Clinton and Bush each had [18]. The same article says it is not unusual for presidents to go through several press secretaries, because of the demanding nature of the role [6]. The comparison covers three presidents, set against Trump's first term plus a second that is still running [2].
Where the turnover sits matters more than the total. Three tenures ran under a year [3]: Spicer's 182 days [7], Grisham's July 2019 to April 2020 [9] and McEnany's April 2020 to January 2021 [10]. All three came before Leavitt [21]. Sanders lasted just under two years, from July 2017 to July 2019 [8]. Leavitt served about 19 months [19], and Business Insider reports she resigned shortly after returning from parental leave, citing a wish to spend more time with her family [11]. We think that makes the high count a first-term pattern so far. One completed second-term tenure is too small a sample to extend it.
Each handover has also changed what the job looks like from the briefing room. In her final months Sanders largely stopped holding formal briefings [8]. Grisham held no traditional briefing during her tenure [9]. McEnany resumed them [10], and Leavitt added a "new media seat" that highlighted podcasters, independent journalists, social media influencers and other non-legacy outlets [12]. Zacharia held her first briefing on Tuesday [1]. The source does not say whether she keeps that seat or sets a regular schedule.
The choice of person was this month's decision. The briefing schedule and the seating are next quarter's consequence, and neither is known yet.
The public case for Zacharia is loyalty and qualification. Trump wrote on Truth Social that she "has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning" [14]. White House communications director Steven Cheung said: "She is uniquely qualified and whip-smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as press secretary." [16] Asked for comment, the White House referred Business Insider to Cheung's earlier statement [17].
What to watch
- Whether Zacharia keeps the new media seat Leavitt created and holds briefings on a regular schedule.
- How long she stays: a tenure under a year would put her with Spicer, Grisham and McEnany, while Leavitt's roughly 19 months is the second-term mark.
- Whether the White House says more about its briefing plans, after it referred Business Insider to an earlier Cheung statement.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence70
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap−10
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence65
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as the new White House press secretary on Tuesday after Trump chose her to succeed Karoline Leavitt, who left the White House in August to spend more time with her young children.
- [2]
Zacharia is the sixth White House press secretary Trump has hired across his two non-consecutive presidential terms.
- [3]
Three of Trump's six press secretaries served for less than a year.
- [4]
President Barack Obama had three press secretaries during his two terms in office.
- [5]
Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had four press secretaries.
- [6]
It is not unusual for presidents to go through several press secretaries due to the demanding nature of the role.
- [7]
Sean Spicer's time as press secretary spanned 182 days, the shortest tenure of all of Trump's press secretaries.
- [8]
Sarah Huckabee Sanders served as press secretary for just under two years, from July 2017 to July 2019, and in the final months of her tenure largely stopped holding formal White House press briefings.
- [9]
Stephanie Grisham served as press secretary for less than a year, from July 2019 to April 2020, and did not hold a traditional press briefing throughout her tenure.
- [10]
Kayleigh McEnany held the role for less than a year, from April 2020 until Trump left office in January 2021, and resumed formal White House press briefings after Grisham's tenure.
- [11]
Karoline Leavitt served as press secretary from January 2025 to August 2026 and resigned shortly after returning from parental leave, citing her desire to spend more time with her family.
- [12]
Leavitt established a "new media seat" in the White House briefing room, highlighting podcasters, independent journalists, social media influencers, and other non-legacy media sources.
- [13]
Trump named Zacharia as Leavitt's successor in a Truth Social post on October 9.
- [14]
In the October 9 Truth Social post, Trump wrote that Zacharia "has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning."
- [15]
Zacharia previously worked as a senior communications advisor at Trump Media and Technology Group, which runs Truth Social.
- [16]
White House communications director Steven Cheung said: "She is uniquely qualified and whip-smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as press secretary."
- [17]
When reached for comment, the White House referred Business Insider to Cheung's previous statement calling Zacharia "a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team."
- [18]
Trump's six press secretaries are two more than the four each that Clinton and Bush had.
- [19]
Leavitt's tenure from January 2025 to August 2026 was about 19 months.
- [20]
Trump's six press secretaries are twice the three Obama had over his two terms.
- [21]
All three tenures under a year (Spicer, Grisham, McEnany) came before Leavitt, among the four press secretaries preceding her.
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Sources
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Entities
- Katie ZachariaFollow
- Karoline LeavittFollow
- Donald TrumpFollow
- Steven CheungFollow
- Trump Media and Technology GroupFollow
- Business InsiderFollow