Trump's New Press Secretary Faces Scrutiny Over History of Promoting Bizarre Conspiracy Theories

Donald Trump's selection of Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary has prompted scrutiny of her past social-media activity, including reported promotion of Pizzagate and claims about COVID-19 vaccines. Separate reporting has also examined her remarks about abortion medication and support for suspending habeas corpus.

Trump announced the appointment on Friday, 9 October, choosing the conservative commentator and Trump Media adviser to succeed Karoline Leavitt. The reports concern statements and posts attributed to Zacharia before her appointment, rather than a newly announced administration policy.

Reports Examine Katie Zacharia's Pizzagate and QAnon-Related Posts

An investigation published by Popular Information on 11 October identified Truth Social posts in which Zacharia promoted Pizzagate, a debunked conspiracy theory that emerged during the 2016 presidential campaign. It falsely alleged a child-trafficking operation involving prominent Democrats and a Washington, DC pizzeria.

MeidasTouch subsequently summarised the newsletter's findings, including posts accusing political and entertainment figures of criminal conduct without credible supporting evidence.

The investigation also highlighted an exchange about supposed coded messages from Trump. Another user speculated that the president drinking bottled water during a public appearance could relate to numbered QAnon posts.

Zacharia reportedly replied on 17 November 2022: 'I was wondering the same thing...'

The exchange documents her response to that particular speculation. It does not, by itself, establish formal affiliation with QAnon or her current position on its claims.

The newsletter also reported engagement with the 'devolution' theory, which falsely maintains that Trump secretly retained control of the military after Joe Biden became president in January 2021.

Abortion Pill Comparison Conflicts With Medical Evidence

The Daily Beast highlighted a recorded appearance in which Zacharia claimed the abortion pill contained 'the same chemicals' used in Nazi extermination camps.

That comparison is false. Mifepristone is a progesterone-receptor antagonist, not Zyklon B, the cyanide-based substance used in Nazi mass murder.

The US Food and Drug Administration explains that mifepristone blocks progesterone, a hormone needed for pregnancy to continue. The medication is approved in combination with misoprostol for medication abortion through ten weeks of pregnancy.

Reporting the comparison does not give it medical validity. The drug's mechanism is described in its approved labelling and is distinct from the substances involved in the Nazi extermination programme.

Vaccine Claim and Habeas Corpus Posts Also Resurface

A separate investigation by The Bulwark examined deleted posts from Zacharia's Twitter and X activity. It reported that she shared an article claiming that '8 in 10 women had a miscarriage after getting the COVID vaccine'.

The statistic is unsupported. Research summarised by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found no increased miscarriage risk associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccination before or during pregnancy.

The political publication also identified posts calling for the suspension of habeas corpus in response to comments about sanctuary cities by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

Habeas corpus allows a detained person to ask a court to examine the lawfulness of their detention. The reported posts concerned Zacharia's advocacy at the time; they do not establish that the administration has adopted that position as a new policy.

White House Points to Trump's Appointment Announcement

Asked about the posts, the White House Press Office directed the newsletter to Trump's announcement praising Zacharia, according to the report summarised by MeidasTouch. It did not provide a substantive response addressing the individual examples.

The political publication separately said the White House had not responded to its request for comment before publication. Those are the outlets' reported enquiries, not a response to questions from this publication.

Trump described Zacharia as having an 'unblemished record of support' and called her a 'loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning'. His wording concerned her support for him, rather than an assessment of every statement she had made.

In a Saturday appearance on Fox & Friends Weekend, Zacharia discussed her approach to the role. 'This job is not about me,' she said, according to the Daily Mail. 'This job is about him and how he wants to communicate to the American people.'

Those remarks addressed her appointment, not the specific conspiracy and medical claims examined in the investigations.