Katrina Lanette Pierson (née Shaddix; born ()July 20, 1976) 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, 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.