BREAKING NEWS: Teary-Eyed Carrie Prejean Reacts To Keeping Miss California Crown

Choking back tears, a defiant Carrie Prejean spoke out moments after Donald Trump announced that she will keep her title as Miss California.

Prejean was at the news conference in New York Tuesday morning during which Trump --owner of the Miss Universe franchise --  made the announcement in wake of growing controversy about her stand against gay marriage and of semi-nude modeling photos that surfaced on the internet.

Prejean said three weeks ago she was asked "a politically charged question" during the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas.  She says she was asked a question about gay marriage and she stated her honest belief.  She is against it.

Calling him judge number 8 (and not by his name Perez Hilton), Prejean refered to him as being "hateful."

In explaining the racy photos of her that have surfaced recently on the internet, Prejean said that one was taken when she was 17.  She said some of the other pictures were photo-shopped, implying they are not really her.  She also explained that the latest photos showing her breasts exposed happened by accident on a windy day in between shots.  She says the photographer should never have released the photos.

Refering to herself as a "strong woman,"  Prejean said this has taught her to stand up for her beliefs.

If you watched the news conference live on television, you may have missed one awkward moment.  At its conclusion, our reporter on the scene tells us pageant officials reapplied the sash on Prejean.  She hugged Trump and then everyone, except for Shanna Moakeler, co-director of the Miss California pageant organization.  They exchanged awkward glances, apparently unsure of what to do