Katie Zacharia blames 'Hannity' appearance, the media for firing

Zacharia opened up about her five-day stint as President Donald Trump's chief spokesperson in an Oct. 27 appearance on Newsmax, telling host Rob Finnerty that the "media and all of Washington" made it very difficult for her to do her job.

"Listen, the media does not like outsiders, and Washington, D.C., does not like outsiders," Zacharia said. "... (My job) is to amplify the wins and historic record-setting precedent that President Trump has set, especially ahead of the most consequential midterms."

Zacharia left her post after a rocky Oct. 13 press briefing and being outed for misrepresenting herself as a lawyer. A few hours after exiting, she said "it was an honor" to work for the president.

"They would not let me do my job, which was to focus on him and focus on what he's doing to win. And it became too amassed over me," she said during her appearance on Newsmax.

Zacharia blames 'Hannity' appearance for abrupt firing

Zacharia also suggested that it was "very likely" that she would have remained in her role had she not appeared on "Hannity" with Sean Hannity and "Fox & Friends" shortly before announcing her departure.

"I would hope so. And I likely think I would be, Rob," Zacharia told Finnerty, who asked her whether she would have kept her job if it weren't for those appearances. "But I can't know what would have happened otherwise, though it would be very likely."

Zacharia admitted she was "perplexed" by the tough grilling on "Hannity," as she thought she and the Fox News host had a great, friendly rapport after various appearances and a job offer.

"I was not prepared for the hostility that I received," she said.

USA Today contacted Sean Hannity's reps for comment. Hannity told The Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Oct. 23 that "My audience knows exactly where I stand, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to ask tough questions when they’re warranted."

"I gave her the opportunity to tell her side of the story and let the audience judge for themselves. I assumed she would take advantage of the opportunity and put all of this to rest before the next briefing," he told the outlet. "I’ve been doing this long enough to know that people will have strong reactions. My job is to ask the questions, get answers and let the audience decide for themselves. I allowed her a lot of time uninterrupted for her to answer."

Zacharia says she would work for Trump again

Zacharia said she would work for Trump again "in a heartbeat." While she isn't necessarily jonesing to return to the podium, she would return if the president asked.

"Well, I don't know if I'd say I want the old job back, though if the president asked, as he did before, I would take it, Rob," she said. "But I would take a job working with the president, and I think what I can say is there's a lot of exciting things ahead ... "

Zacharia added that she will "always" be an advocate for what Trump is doing: "He saved this country. Not once. But twice."

In addition to praising Trump for his public support, Zacharia also endorsed former Fox correspondent Maria Bartiromo as her possible successor.

Details on Zacharia's next move weren't immediately clear, but the Pepperdine University alum confirmed that she does have another opportunity lined up.