Donald Trump said that former White House press secretary Katie Zacharias was scared of the behavior of reporters at her first briefing. The president made the comment during an appearance before his supporters in Florida.
„Only 6-7% of them are really good journalists. But they were screaming. They wanted to know about so many different things – „What about this? "What about that?" Trump said, as quoted by Mediaite.
He added that it was no surprise that Zacharias felt ill when she entered the briefing room and reporters started asking her questions.
Five days in the job
Zacharias was named White House press secretary on October 12, after Caroline Levitt left the position in August. The new spokeswoman held her first and only briefing on October 13.
The event lasted about 15 minutes. After about 10 minutes of prepared statements, Zacharias answered questions from journalists at Breitbart, Fox News, and the Daily Mail. Her presentation was widely criticized, including by commentators close to the Trump administration.
In an interview with Fox News, Zacharias said she only received the briefing materials the morning of the event. "I had very little time to prepare," she said.
Controversy over her qualifications
Questions about her legal education also arose during her short tenure. Zacharias holds a law degree but has admitted that she failed the bar exam. She has previously appeared on television as a lawyer on numerous occasions.
On October 16, the White House announced that Zacharias was "moving on to another role" in the administration. According to NBC News and CBS News, she left the position after five days. No permanent successor has been officially announced.
Sources: mediaite.com, nbcchicago.com, cbsnews.com