Katie Zacharia defended her first White House press briefing performance but admitted that she was underprepared and 'should have stepped aside' rather than take questions.
The new White House Press Secretary received brutal reviews for her first engagement with the DC press.
Speaking to Fox News Thursday night, Zacharia tried to explain that it had been a whirlwind week for her - only having first interviewed for the job a week ago Wednesday - and she had been on the job just one day.
'I had been on the job for one day and instead of taking questions, probably should've stepped aside,' she told Sean Hannity, while adding she feels 'I did my very best to deliver for the American people.'
She said the right thing to do might have been to just give 'a brief intro' to the press corps and noted she had only been on the job 'for eight hours.'
Zacharia did not throw her staff under the bus for the press conference.
'I believe, given I'd been on the job for less than maybe eight hours, and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day.'
She did promise to be more prepared going forward when asked if she would do anything differently.
Katie Zacharia defended her first White House press briefing performance but admitted that she was underprepared and 'should have stepped aside' rather than take questions
The new White House Press Secretary received brutal reviews for her first engagement with the DC press
'What I would say is I would absolutely be very well prepared on the briefing, Sean, and I would love and I do love questions and I would love to build a relationship with all those members of the press corps so there is a substantive component to us having an ability to interact, and I will be very prepared, Sean, and I will step up to the duty that President Trump has asked me to do as press secretary.'
Zacharia did note that she was able to break some news in announcing the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, stating she was 'one of the first press secretaries to deliver staff changes.'
She also continued to defend calling herself a 'lawyer' after admitting she'd never passed the bar exam after failing it on her first try.
'For background, I graduated Pepperdine, got married in the same week, we had all intent to move out to China,' she explained, giving the backstory on why she failed.
'I had already pre-registered for the bar exam, basically during the summer I had learned I was moving to China so the results would be inconsequential.'
She confirmed she did not take the exam a second time.
It was a bumpy start for Zacharia, 42, who stumbled over words and kept the usually hour-long briefing to just 15 minutes – although our Elina Shirazi was able to sneak in one question that confirmed the fate of doomed Greek ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Among those delivering their verdict on Zacharia's performance was former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who was infamously canned by the commander-in-chief after just 11 days on the job.
Speaking to Fox News Thursday night, Zacharia tried to explain that it had been a whirlwind week for her - only having first interviewed from the job a week ago Wednesday - and she had been on the job just one day
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Officially, the White House press shop is calling the performance 'commanding.'
'Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team,' White House spokesperson Steven Cheung told the Daily Mail when reached for comment.
'She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary.'
Trump himself, asked by reporters later in the day, offered a six-word verdict: 'I thought she was very good.'
By early Tuesday afternoon, Zacharia was aboard Air Force One, bound for Alaska on her first official trip with the president.
Zacharia's path to the podium was as abrupt as her exit from it.
Trump plucked her off television after months of watching her defend him on Fox News and Newsmax, making the offer himself in an out-of-the-blue phone call.
Three days later, her hiring was announced on Truth Social without running it past Wiles.
Zacharia started in politics as a college intern for the Republican National Committee.
She earned her undergraduate degree at Pepperdine’s Seaver College before going on to its Caruso School of Law, then launched a career in corporate and political advocacy.
Her experience also includes working in the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Bush administration and spending three years in China working as an outside counsel for the World Bank.
Her husband Tyler served as a producer on movies like The Irishman, Countdown, The Starling, The Desperate Hour and Homestead, among others.
While Zacharia often flaunts her glamorous endeavors on her Instagram, where she has racked up more than 42,000 followers, she is fiercely private when it comes to her family life and has kept her kids completely off social media.
In addition, she has been outspoken about the backlash she has faced in the past for supporting Trump.
'Being in the world of politics, whether directly or adjacent, is BRUTAL and I personally take DAILY heat for it,' Zacharia wrote in an Instagram post in September.
She went on to explain that she tries to 'keep her family away from the flame,' but gushed over how 'proud' she was of her husband's work.