Zacharia ‘tracked every news hit’ to capture Trump’s attention in press secretary search

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said Thursday that she tracked President Trump’s interests and intentionally discussed them in television appearances ahead of being selected for the role.

“I tracked every news hit to be in accordance with what policies he was pushing for, particularly on Truth Social, since I was the senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group and Truth Social,” Zacharia said Thursday in an interview on conservative cable network Real America’s Voice.

Zacharia was selected Oct. 9 after former press secretary Karoline Leavitt left the position in August to spend more time with family.

Speaking with host Jack Posobiec, Zacharia said she did not think lobbying directly for the press secretary position would be effective, instead saying she wanted to “audition” for the role.

“I am not lobbying for this job,” Zacharia said. “Why? Because my philosophy is I’m on TV enough where if he sees me and he likes me, then I will be recruited for the job.”

Zacharia, who previously lived and worked in China, specifically highlighted her comments during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S. for a summit with Trump. She said she went on TV to defend the president when he was criticized for rolling out the red carpet for Xi.

“I really wanted to give context for how you do business in China and why President Trump’s approach is actually the effective way to get the deal done,” Zacharia said. “He’s actually, by showing deference to Xi Jinping, effectuating his ability to get that deal.”

“A lot of the American people don’t understand that,” she added. “The criticism of pomp and circumstance is actually, it so means you really don’t understand what happens in China, and that President Trump is after a deal for the American people … he has never deviated from being America first.”

Zacharia held her first press briefing at the White House Tuesday, drawing attention for responding to a question saying that she passed the bar exam when she moved to China. She clarified to The New York Times that she misheard the question . The Wall Street Journal then reported Thursday that Zacharia did not pass the bar exam she took in California in 2011 after graduating from law school.