Salena Zito is an American journalist and author.

Career

Zito hails from Pennsylvania and is a longtime newspaper journalist who was a columnist for the ''

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib", is the second-largest daily newspaper serving the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area of Western Pennsylvania. It transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, but rema ...

'' and the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

''. Her 2018 book ''The Great Revolt'' was praised by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. Zito denied claims that she fabricated quotes in her reporting in a ''New York Post'' story headlined “The Twitter trolls attacking my work are all wrong“. She is a reporter for the ''

Washington Examiner The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative news magazine based in Washington, D.C., consisting of a website and a weekly printed magazine. It is owned by Philip Anschutz through MediaDC, a subsidiar ...

'' and a contributor to the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' where she is known for her reporting on populism in American politics. On July 13, 2024, Zito was standing feet from the presidential podium during the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt on Donald Trump, and was tackled to the ground by a campaign staffer as bullets flew over her head. She spoke to Trump several times in the immediate aftermath. In 2025, Hachette’s Center Street imprint published Zito’s book, ''Butler'', about the Trump assassination attempt and Trump’s subsequent electoral victory in the heartland. The book debuted as a #1 New York Times bestseller. Trump, in a social media post, called the book "powerful." It was reported that Zito has sold the rights for the book to be adapted into a movie.

Awards

In 2024, Zito received the

Media Research Center The Media Research Center (MRC) is an American conservative content analysis and media watchdog group based in Herndon, Virginia, and founded in 1987 by L. Brent Bozell III. The nonprofit MRC has received financial support primarily from R ...

Bulldog Award.

Books

*''Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland''
Center Street, 2025
. *With Brad Todd ''The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics'' (Forum Books, 2018) *''It's Complicated: How Our Nation Is Coming Together and Falling Apart'' (Creators Publishing, 2021)

References

External links

Official website
*
Salena Zito , C-SPAN.org
Living people 21st-century American journalists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers Journalists from Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Tribune-Review people New York Post people {{US-journalist-stub