Piers Morgan, Katie Zacharia tangle in contentious interview: ‘You sound like a robot’

British broadcaster Piers Morgan clashed with former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over her abrupt departure from the Trump administration, accusing her of sounding like a “robot” as she repeatedly dodged questions about her five-day tenure .

During a contentious interview on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” released Wednesday, Morgan pressed Zacharia about her private conversations with President Trump before she was ousted earlier this month. Zacharia refused to share details of the exchange, instead repeatedly declaring her loyalty to the president and accusing the media of trying to distract from his agenda.

“Let’s cut the crap here and have a serious genuine conversation,” Morgan said after several unsuccessful attempts to get Zacharia to answer his questions. “You sound like a robot. Has Donald Trump got some program plugged into you to make you come out with all this stuff?”

He continued, “When Donald Trump said to you, ‘Was this really for you?’ what did you say back?”

Morgan was referring to Trump’s public account of Zacharia’s departure; the president said he had asked her about her feelings on the press secretary position following a shaky debut behind the podium and controversy surrounding her legal background .

Zacharia declined to answer, insisting that her conversations with the president would remain confidential.

“Katie, come on!” Morgan responded. “Katie, he’s told the entire world what he said.”

“I’m not going to mince words or split hairs over this,” Zacharia said. “I will not disclose private conversations that I’ve had with the president.”

She pivoted to defending Trump, saying she would continue supporting him regardless of the circumstances surrounding her firing.

“I will continue fighting for him. I am ruthlessly loyal. I have always been, and I will continue to be,” she said.

The exchange grew increasingly heated as Zacharia argued that the interview should be focused on the upcoming midterm elections rather than her brief stint at the White House.

Morgan pushed back, telling her that her departure was precisely why she had been invited on to the show. He also questioned why she was so reluctant to discuss her dismissal when Trump had already spoken publicly about it and did not necessarily show her any loyalty when he fired her after only five days.

Nonetheless, Zacharia did not let up, insisting that she did “not sound like a robot.”

She has previously ripped the media over its coverage of Trump, accusing the press corps of having “ Trump Derangement Syndrome ” while reiterating her loyalty to the president.