Katrina Lanette Pierson (née Shaddix;^[2] born (1976-07-20)July 20, 1976^[1]) is an American Tea Party activist and communications consultant. She was the national spokesperson for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign, and was a regular CNN contributor during the campaign.

Pierson was born in Kansas^[3] to a white mother and a black father.^[4] Her mother gave birth to her at 15 ^[2] and initially gave her up for adoption, but changed her mind. ^[4] She grew up with her mother, in poverty.^[4]

Pierson grew up in poverty with her single mother. In 1997, at 20, Pierson was arrested for shoplifting, to which she pleaded no contest, received deferred adjudication, and, ultimately, a dismissal with the case sealed.^[2] She reportedly took $168 in merchandise from a J. C. Penney store in Plano, Texas. She had her 3-month-old son with her at the time. ^[2] Pierson told authorities she needed the clothes for job interviews. She has said that the incident helped her turn her life around, showing her that mistakes often come with consequences.^[2]

Pierson received an associate of science degree from Kilgore College.^[5] In 2006, she earned a Bachelor's in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas.^[6][7]

Pierson worked for InVentiv Health in 2008; the Baylor Health Care System from July 2009 to August 2011, as a practice administrator;^[8] for ASG Software Solutions, as the director of corporate affairs, from May 2011 to December 2012;^[9] and then in a variety of jobs until being hired by the Trump campaign.^[9][10]

Pierson voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election,^[6][11] and has listed Malcolm X as her political idol, stating that Martin Luther King, Jr. was "too moderate".^[12] However, Pierson began shifting rightward because Obama did not wear an American flag on his lapel.^[6] She became an activist in the Tea Party movement in 2009.^[13] Speaking in April 2009 at a Dallas Tea Party event, she called for Texas to secede from the U.S.^[14] She founded a local Tea Party group in Garland, Texas.^[7][13] In 2012, Pierson actively supported Ted Cruz in the 2012 Senate race in Texas and appeared on stage with him on election night in November.^[6]

In the 2014 Texas congressional elections, Pierson challenged incumbent congressman Pete Sessions in the Republican primary to represent Texas' 32nd district.^[15][16] Her candidacy was endorsed by Rafael Cruz^[17] and by Sarah Palin, who called her "a feisty fighter for freedom."^[15] While U.S. senator Ted Cruz offered praise, calling her an "utterly fearless principled conservative," he stopped short of an endorsement.^[16]

In January 2014, Pierson broadcast a campaign ad in which she quipped "President Obama says ‘I wouldn’t let my son play pro football.’^[18] That’s weird. I wouldn’t let my son add $7 trillion to the national debt." The Independent Journal Review dubbed it "one of the sassiest ads ever."^[19]

By mid-February 2014, Pierson had received only $76,000 in campaign contributions; Sessions had received almost twenty times more.^[8] In the March primary, Pierson received 36 percent of the vote, losing to Sessions, who received 63 percent.^[20] Pierson went on to become spokesperson for the Tea Party leadership fund.^[6]

In January 2015, Pierson attended a meeting for Tea Party activists in Myrtle Beach with Ted Cruz.^[6] While in Myrtle Beach, she also met with Donald Trump.^[6] After meeting with Trump or his aides a few more times, Pierson introduced Trump at a campaign rally held in Dallas in September. In November 2015 she was hired as the national spokesperson for Trump's campaign,^[6] subsequently appearing frequently on television in that capacity, often being seen as one of Trump's staunchest defenders amidst controversial comments.^[21][11]

After the 2016 election, Pierson turned down an administration position as Deputy Press Secretary,^[22][23] and instead worked at America First Policies, a pro-Trump 501(c)(4) group.^[24] In March 2018, the Trump 2020 campaign hired Pierson as a senior adviser.^[25][16]

Pierson had a three-month-long marriage^[2] at a young age, during which she gave birth to a son.^[6] She and her son reside in Garland, Texas.^[7]