'The Same Chemicals': Trump's New Press Secretary Faces Scrutiny Over 'Nazi Germany' Pill Claim

Donald Trump's newly appointed White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is facing scrutiny over past claims that the abortion pill mifepristone contains 'the same chemicals' as those used in Nazi Germany's extermination camps.

Trump announced Zacharia's appointment on Friday, 9 October 2026, naming the conservative commentator and communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group to replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the role in August. The appointment has revived attention to comments Zacharia made in 2025 linking mifepristone to Zyklon B, the cyanide-based pesticide used in Nazi gas chambers.

The chemical claim is false. Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid that blocks progesterone receptors, while Zyklon B released hydrogen cyanide gas. Neither mifepristone nor misoprostol, the medicine commonly used alongside it, contains Zyklon B or carbon monoxide.

What Zacharia Said About Mifepristone

During a June 2025 appearance on the YouTube channel We The People with Gates Garcia, Zacharia said: 'The abortion pill has the same chemicals that they used in the exterminate camps in Nazi Germany.' She also claimed the medication stopped progesterone from flowing and 'cut off the oxygen to the baby'.

In a social-media post in November 2025, Zacharia wrote: 'Mifepristone, formerly called RU-486, is connected to the manufacturer of the deadly gas Zyklon B, used in the World War II concentration camps.'

She argued that Degesch, the company associated with Zyklon B's production and distribution, had links to I.G. Farben, the German chemical conglomerate implicated in Nazi crimes and the exploitation of forced labour during the Holocaust.

The description of the drug's mechanism is inaccurate. Mifepristone blocks the action of progesterone, a hormone needed to maintain pregnancy. It is used with misoprostol, which causes uterine contractions, to end an intrauterine pregnancy. Neither medicine works by introducing cyanide or carbon monoxide into the body.

The Corporate History Behind the Claim

Mifepristone was developed in the 1980s by French pharmaceutical company Roussel-Uclaf. France approved it in 1988, and the US Food and Drug Administration approved it in 2000.

Hoechst AG, which had held a stake in Roussel-Uclaf for years, acquired the remaining shares in 1997. Hoechst was one of the successor companies to I.G. Farben after the Second World War. Degesch, meanwhile, was associated with the manufacture and distribution of Zyklon B, which released hydrogen cyanide when used.

These connections form part of a historical corporate lineage, but they do not show that mifepristone contains Zyklon B or shares its chemical composition. The medicine was developed by a French research team decades after the Holocaust, with biochemist Étienne-Émile Baulieu widely credited for his role in its development.

The distinction matters: a company's historical ownership links are not proof that a later medicine contains the same chemicals as a product associated with another company in that lineage. The name RU-486 came from the development code used by Roussel-Uclaf, not from Zyklon B or its manufacturer.

Trump Praises His New Press Secretary

Trump announced the appointment on Truth Social, describing Zacharia as a 'loyal and brilliant supporter' and a 'devoted fan and member of MAGA'. He said she had worked on his campaigns in key swing states.

Zacharia is a California native and a graduate of Pepperdine University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in political science and government in 2007 and a law degree in 2011. Before her appointment, she worked as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group and briefly served as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.

She has also appeared as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax and served as general counsel for the conservative nonprofit Fix California. She was associated with The White Rose Resistance, an anti-abortion advocacy group founded by Seth Gruber.

The remarks could become a subject of questions when Zacharia begins briefing the White House press corps, particularly if reporters ask her to clarify the chemical claim and the corporate history behind it. The available evidence establishes a historical connection between companies, not a chemical connection between mifepristone and Zyklon B.