Trump’s new press secretary has a history of pushing banana conspiracy theories

Trump’s new press secretary has a history of pushing banana conspiracy theories Katie Zacharia was appointed as White House press secretary on Friday, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who left the role in August - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in The newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia previously promoted the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory and shared posts accusing Democrats and Hollywood elites of being pedophiles and cannibals. Zacharia, who previously worked as a communications adviser for the president’s Trump Media and Technology Group, shared her deep belief in Pizzagate — as well as other fringe beliefs — on her Truth Social account, according to a report published Sunday by Popular Information. The fledgling press secretary’s Truth Social posts reveal a deep belief in Pizzagate, the unfounded conspiracy that prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign chairman John Podesta, were involved in a child sex trafficking ring. Pizzagate baselessly claims that Clinton, Podesta and other powerful Democrats ran their sex trafficking business out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong. Zacharia, 41, was so invested in shining a light on the theory that she took to Truth Social on several occasions to try to urge Fox News to report on it. “[W]hy doesn’t Fox News do a ‘feature’ on what a pedophile Podesta is,” she wrote on Truth Social on September 7, 2022, tagging President Donald Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity. On September 4, 2022, when it was announced that Podesta had agreed to work in the Biden White House, Zacharia posted “Pedo Podesta. #pedoPodesta.” Later that day, the California native also wrote, “The radical left Hollywood elites are sick pedo cannibals. Change my mind.” Zacharia continued her petitioning to Hannity a month later, writing on October 17, 2022, “[W]here’s the feature on John Podesta?” She also shared a post on Truth Social earlier that year that read: “Democrats want to mask and rape your children. That’s their satanic platform,” according to the report. The new press secretary has also previously publicized her support of QAnon, a conspiracy theory that originated in 2017 as a result of Pizzagate. The theory claims that Trump is secretly fighting a child-abuse group consisting of Democrats, Hollywood and “the deep state.” The details of Trump’s apparent fight against pedophiles, according to believers, are revealed through coded messages from the president and online postings from an anonymous account known as Q. Zacharia responded to a Truth Social user in November 2022 who shared some thoughts on the theory: “Did you notice Trump drinking bottled water last night during his announcement? He drank at least 2-3 times. I have not seen him do that at his speeches or rallies. It reminds me of Q posts 765, 767, and 847. Or was it a signal for something else; by land or by sea.” Zacharia replied to the post, writing, “I was wondering the same thing…” When asked about Zacharia’s promotion of conspiracy theories, the White House referred The Independent to Trump’s Truth Social post announcing Zacharia’s appointment on Friday. Trump wrote that it was his “great honor” to name Zacharia as his latest press secretary. The appointment fills a role that had been left vacant since August, when former press secretary Karoline Leavitt resigned to spend more time with her two young children. “She was previously involved in my Campaigns, assisting in key Swing States, where we won 7 out of 7. She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA,” Trump wrote in the post. “I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration.” In addition to working for the president’s Trump Media and Technology Group, Zacharia, spent roughly a month working at the Department of Homeland Security as a spokesperson earlier this year, according to her LinkedIn. She has also been a longtime conservative commentator, writing an op-ed declaring Trump “the greatest president in U.S. history,” in The New York Post earlier this year. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments