However, not everyone criticized the performance. Officials told the New York Post the backlash was unfair.
“She seemed nervous, but who wouldn’t be?” one administration official told the publication.
Another said, “People criticizing her are being a–holes considering she had the guts to come out and do something she’s never done before with 24 hours of prep.”
Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany, who served as press secretary in Trump’s first term, noted Zacharia had “very little runway” before meeting the press.
A senior administration official said Zacharia was juggling a family move to Washington, had less than 24 hours to prepare, and received her briefing materials that morning.
A second official said that “she looked absolutely stunning,” noting that it benefits her in the eyes of Trump, who favors staff who look “out of central casting.”
Trump himself watched the briefing and publicly defended her, saying: “I thought she was very good.”