Openly gay former US congressman George Santos offers to become Trump’s press secretary

George Santos, the openly gay Republican former US congressman, said on October 16, 2026, that he would be willing to become President Donald Trump’s press secretary. He made the offer on X after reports that Katie Zacharia was leaving the role, LGBTQ Nation reports.

The proposal is Santos’s own initiative: his post mentions neither a job offer nor talks with the White House. The Independent also describes his statement as a pitch for the position. No official announcement appointing Santos has been made.

Zacharia started work on October 12 and left the post after five days. ABC News reported, citing sources and a senior White House official, that she would move to another administration role to be announced later. Trump told reporters on October 16 that he had advised her to reconsider whether she wanted to work as press secretary.

Santos represented a New York district in the House of Representatives in 2023. He was expelled on December 1 that year following an investigation into campaign finance violations and the use of campaign funds for personal expenses. His dates in office and expulsion are recorded in his official congressional biography.

In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. On April 25, 2025, he was sentenced to 87 months in prison. According to federal prosecutors, the case involved false financial reports and the unauthorized use of donors’ information and money.

Trump commuted his sentence on October 17, 2025, the date listed in the US Justice Department’s clemency register. The decision was a commutation, rather than a full pardon. It did not amount to an acquittal in Santos’s criminal case.

George Santos. Official portrait taken on December 2, 2022. Photo: Ike Hayman / U.S. House Office of Photography, Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. Cropped and resized.