Megyn Kelly Criticizes Katie Zacaria's First Day Appearance

Megyn Kelly spoke up for Katie Zacharia after harsh critiques of her debut day as White House Press Secretary, yet she still conceded that the new hire simply was not impressive.

Kelly noted that Zacharias first outing today did not go particularly well and definitely lacked impact. It wasn't a disaster, but it fell short of expectations.

The SiriusXM host focused heavily on Zacharia's appearance and makeup, which she claimed looked as if the woman were auditioning for a job on Fox News. She pointed out the heavy makeup, long curls, and chest showing from the tie, suggesting a major adjustment was needed.

Kelly argued that while many Republican press secretaries aim to work their way onto Fox News eventually, one must present as a serious person when holding a role that demands respect. Roger Ailes would agree with this point.

She also criticized the revealing nature of the outfit and stated that Zacharia failed to act as a consummate professional in her presentation. The goal is not to turn heads but to look like a professional who belongs there.

Kelly did defend Zacharia for taking on such a tough job at once. She compared this situation to Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden's former press secretary, noting that she never grew into the role and struggled with it too.

Megyn Kelly believes Zacharia will get there eventually. Talking live on camera is not as easy as it looks for most people, and Zacharia does not seem to have much experience doing it yet.

Her rapid 72-hour ascent to one of the top media jobs in the country happens amidst a flood of merciless headlines and a sour political environment for her boss, President Donald Trump.

Replacing Karoline Leavitt, this 41-year-old lawyer and veteran political commentator is being thrown straight into the lion's den. She must now field a barrage of questions from a press corps eager to probe a series of burgeoning political controversies.

Zacharia, a mother of four, was a mainstay on conservative broadcast shows before being tapped last week to replace Leavitt. She is also facing questions about her legal qualifications right now.

President Trump wrote that Katie is a distinguished graduate of Pepperdine University and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. He called her an attorney and a frequent commentator on outlets including Fox News and Newsmax.

However, to become an attorney, not just a lawyer, one must pass a bar exam in the United States. Zacharia does not appear in California's state bar website, which indicates she did not pass the exam in her home state.

In fact, her name was not found in the attorney directories of any US state or territory, according to newsletter author Judd Legum. He has openly questioned whether the new press secretary has broken any laws related to falsely claiming to be an attorney.

Exiting the White House along with the president on Tuesday afternoon, a reporter asked Trump where Zacharia passed her bar exam since it is a prerequisite for becoming an attorney.

Which state?" a reporter asked the president. He passed that question off to his press secretary instead of answering directly. "When I moved to China," Zacharia shot back without offering any further explanation. That reply immediately drew sharp questions from her critics. Under current rules, bar exams must be taken in person within the United States. It remains unclear how she could have sat for her US bar exam while claiming to be in China.

"To be clear, there is zero chance Zacharia took the Chinese bar exam," Legum wrote on social media. "She doesn't speak Chinese and only Chinese citizens can take it." While it is true that non-citizens are barred from the Chinese legal exam, Zacharia has stated she knows a bit of Mandarin. She told the South China Morning Post in the past that she would jump into conversations just to practice her speaking skills.

Zacharia lived and worked in Beijing for roughly two or three years after finishing law school at Pepperdine University. She was employed by the Zhong Lun Law Firm from about August 2011 until June 2014. Her husband, Tyler Zacharia, also worked in Beijing during that time for a private equity firm. "I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," she told the Daily Mail in a written statement.

Her resume lists other roles beyond her time abroad. LinkedIn shows she served as general counsel for the conservative political group Fix California. She has also claimed to act as outside counsel for both the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation. These assertions raise serious doubts about how accurate her background story truly is.