Former Trump Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Reveals She Was Blindsided and 'Perplexed' by Sean Hannity's 'Hostility' Toward Her

Former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia admitted she was blindsided by the hostile questioning from Fox News host Sean Hannity. The October 15 interview preceded her dramatic ouster from the Trump administration after serving only five days in office.

Speaking on Newsmax with host Rob Finnerty, Zacharia, 42, said she was entirely unprepared for Hannity's aggressive demeanor.

“Katie, I was shocked by the Hannity treatment if I’m being honest,” Finnerty said. “I don’t think he does that if he doesn’t get the green light from somebody, perhaps at the White House. I don’t know. But what do you make of this narrative that Fox did this on purpose?”

“I’m just as perplexed about what happened specifically with Sean Hannity,” Zacharia said.

Zacharia's ignominious tenure began contentiously after her maiden White House press briefing lasted just 14 minutes, during which she stumbled over her words and took only three questions.

Following heavy media criticism, Hannity initially came to Zacharia's defense on October 13, blasting the "legacy media mob" for attacking her appearance, credentials and intelligence.

Expecting a friendly conversation because of their prior rapport and because Hannity’s team had previously tried to recruit her as a California correspondent, Zacharia said her "gloves were off" when she went on his show 48 hours later.

Instead of offering support, Hannity aggressively pressed Zacharia on the exact issues he had previously defended her against. He targeted her brief debut press conference and closely interrogated her legal credentials.

Zacharia, who attended Pepperdine Law School, had previously called herself an "attorney" or "lawyer" on social media. However, Hannity pressed her on reports that she had failed the California bar exam.

Zacharia did not pass the U.S. bar exam and instead previously worked as an associate for a Chinese international law firm in Beijing.

Hannity questioned why she didn't simply admit to her background rather than engaging in a "long, drawn-out definition" of the difference between a lawyer and an attorney.

“I doubt that he had any interest in your educational background at that point when you had that call,” Finnerty noted. “Is that accurate? Is that fair?”

“We never had a conversation about my educational background,” Zacharia replied before Finnerty asked if she’d ever go on Hannity’s show again.

“Look, I never bow away from a fight or back away from a fight, Rob. I’ve been on CNN. I’ve debated some of the most hostile, not anchors, but guests. And I have been able to do it with grace, with dignity, and walk away and even maintain decorum,” she responded. “I’m ready to go. But because I had had a very friendly rapport with Sean and he had even made very backing statements about me on Tuesday, October 13th, really coming to my defense, I was not prepared for the hostility that I received.”

Within 24 hours of the interview, President Donald Trump publicly said he advised Zacharia to "reconsider" her role to avoid further harsh media coverage.

Shortly after, the White House confirmed her firing.

Her five-day tenure set a record as the shortest-serving press secretary in White House history, lasting less than half of Anthony Scaramucci's infamous 11-day stint.

Despite the public embarrassment, Zacharia told Newsmax she remains "ruthlessly loyal" to Trump.