Katrina Pierson

Early life, education, and early career

Pierson was born in Kansas, to a white mother and a black father. Her mother, who gave birth to her at age 15, initially gave her up for adoption, but later changed her mind. She grew up with her mother, in poverty.

In 1997, at the age of 20, Pierson was arrested for shoplifting, to which she pleaded no contest, received deferred adjudication, and, ultimately, a dismissal with the case sealed. She reportedly took $168 in merchandise from a J. C. Penney store in Plano, Texas, and had her then three-month old son with her at the time of the incident. 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.

Pierson received an associate of science degree from Kilgore College. In 2006, she earned a bachelors in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Pierson worked for InVentiv Health in 2008; the Baylor Health Care System from July 2009 to August 2011, as a practice administrator; for ASG Software Solutions, as the director of corporate affairs, from May 2011 to December 2012; and then in a variety of jobs until being hired by the Trump campaign, in November 2015. In 2013, she received $11,000 in unemployment benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission.

Pierson had a three-month-long marriage at a young age that gave her a son. She and her son reside in Garland, Texas.

Beginnings

Pierson voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, and has listed Malcolm X as her political idol, stating that Martin Luther King, Jr. was "too moderate".

Pierson became an activist in the Tea Party movement in 2009. Speaking in April 2009 at a Dallas Tea Party event, she called for Texas to secede from the U.S. She founded a local Tea Party group in Garland, Texas.

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.

2014 Texas Congressional race

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

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

Trump 2016

In January 2015, Pierson attended a meeting for Tea Party activists in Myrtle Beach with Ted Cruz. While in Myrtle Beach, she also met with Donald Trump. 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, subsequently appearing frequently on television in that capacity, often being seen as one of Trump's staunchest defenders amidst controversial comments.