BBC Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire visibly smirked as she struggled not to laugh while former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia had a meltdown during an interview. The exchange began when Derbyshire asked Zacharia about Vice President JD Vance, who lasted just four days in the role.
Question on Vance and Alaska ballot
Derbyshire asked: "Why didn't J.D. Vance mention the Sullivan's and Alaska?" She referred to Vance's fierce criticism of two candidates named Dan Sullivan on Alaska's ballot in the lead-up to the 2026 U.S. Senate midterm election. Vance had campaigned in Alaska for the Republican incumbent, Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
During the campaign, he condemned the independent candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher with no prior political experience. Vance went so far as to label it "electoral fraud" and a "moral failing".
Guest's tirade on air
Instead of a straight answer, Zacharia, who had already been declaring it "not fair" and asking Derbyshire if she thought it was fair, had a meltdown. "You don't want to answer the question because you know it's not fair," she told her.
"You know that that was a setup. It is so clearly a setup, and that is why it is being investigated right now," Zacharia ranted as Derbyshire tried to remain professional. "And that should be, across the pond, being questioned just as much as anywhere else in the world," she continued.
"This is not some random obscurity. This is two Dan Sullivans that were on the ballot in Alaska. But that needs to be looked at? Who put Dan S. Sullivan on that ballot? Who did that?"
Derbyshire interjects on Trump and Hegseth
Derbyshire attempted to interject and ask a question about Donald Trump, but Zacharia was having none of it. "The New York Times had an answer. Did you read that? Did you read who who what the New York Times came out with? Yes or no?" she said over the presenter.
Managing to get a word in edgeways, Derbyshire asked: "How do you think the president will be coping with this open criticism of the war by his vice president?"
Zacharia shot back: "The president has been very clear. There is not any kind of at odds right now. He made those statements very clear, both in his interview and across the board. Any kind of insinuation that there's this massive division happening is not actually understanding the relationship between the president and the vice president."
As Derbyshire again interjected, pointing out that Pete Hegseth was about to face an impeachment vote to charge him for not getting congressional approval for the war in Iran, she asked Zacharia if he should just resign. This led to a further rant as she responded: "Pete Hegseth should absolutely not resign. He's been a wonderful Secretary of War, and he absolutely did what any other Secretary of War or Secretary of Defence would do in these circumstances."
"And history will prove that not only President Trump but also Secretary Hegseth will be thanked for ensuring the UK and the rest of the world won't have to deal with a nuclearised Iran," she concluded.
