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Replacement Announced After Top Trump Official Resigns

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The Department of Homeland Security has named a new spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs following the resignation of a top Trump administration official.

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Tuesday that she will step down next week. McLaughlin, who became one of the administration’s most visible defenders of its immigration crackdown on cable news and social media, announced her departure in a post on X.

In the same message, she praised her successor, calling conservative attorney and media commentator Katie Zacharia “a dynamic and effective voice in media.”

Zacharia will assume the role of spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary, working under Lauren Bis, who is being promoted to assistant secretary.

“I am honored and proud to serve President Trump and Secretary Noem as the new Spokesperson and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs,” Zacharia wrote. “I will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again!”

Her appointment comes as DHS remains at the center of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement push. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have faced protests and political backlash in recent weeks following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. The incidents sparked demonstrations and intensified scrutiny from Democrats, while the administration has defended the actions of federal agents.

Zacharia has built her public profile as a conservative legal commentator. She has appeared on Newsmax since 2024 and Fox News since 2025, frequently defending the administration’s border policies and criticizing what she describes as efforts to undermine ICE operations.

In a New York Post op-ed published Sunday, Zacharia called Trump “the greatest president in U.S. history” and accused liberal activists of “obstructing” the work of immigration officers.

A graduate of Pepperdine University, Zacharia earned both her undergraduate and law degrees there. During college, she interned with the Republican National Committee and in the White House Office of Political Affairs during President George W. Bush’s second term.

While in law school, she worked at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and served as a law clerk for Advocates International, a global network of Christian lawyers that focuses on serving the “poor, vulnerable and oppressed,” according to the organization’s website.

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After graduation, she worked internationally at a firm in Beijing and for a nonprofit assisting children of migrant workers. More recently, she served on the Dean’s Council Board at Pepperdine Law and as the school’s director of development.

Zacharia has also advised Fix California, a conservative policy group founded by Richard Grenell, a longtime Trump ally who now serves as interim president of the Kennedy Center.

McLaughlin’s departure marks the latest leadership shift at DHS as the administration doubles down on its immigration agenda. With Zacharia stepping into the role, the department appears poised to maintain a forceful public defense of its enforcement policies amid ongoing political and legal battles.

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